For the first time in nearly two years, the General Pierce Bridge connecting Greenfield and Montague over the Connecticut River is open at full capacity.

The bridge, which has been closed for a multi-year construction project since April 26, 2021, was initially scheduled to reopen in May 2023. The project progressed ahead of schedule, and in October 2022, the state Department of Transportation (MassDOT) announced an expedited reopening in March 2023. The bridge opened to alternating single-lane traffic last month before MassDOT announced Monday that it would reopen fully by the end of the day.

According to Kristen Pennucci, MassDOT’s communications director, the bridge being open in a limited capacity had gone without issue, with the exception of the timing of the temporary traffic signals needing some adjusting. This, in addition to extra resources being “allocated to get ahead of the forecasted storm,” prompted MassDOT to be “confident” this past weekend that the bridge could be fully reopened on Monday.

“First and foremost, I think the town is really gratified that MassDOT was able to work with Northern Construction to achieve the reopening of the bridge several months ahead of its originally expected schedule,” said Montague Town Administrator Steve Ellis, who was notified on Monday morning of MassDOT’s intentions to open the bridge.

Previously, Ellis expressed particular gratitude for the impact reopening the bridge would have on emergency response agencies. The Greenfield, Turners Falls and Montague Center Fire departments frequently depend on the bridge as a primary route of transit between Greenfield and Montague.

“The bridge reopening really has a positive impact on our ability to both give and receive mutual aid in the town of Montague,” Greenfield Fire Chief Robert Strahan said. “It’s an exciting thing to have it back open and we’ll get back to business as usual.”

Strahan said firefighters would sometimes endure seven to 10-minute delays when responding to calls outside of their own municipality due to the bridge closure. This would entail detours via Turners Falls Road over the power canal, and for emergencies requiring the response of a larger ladder truck that is harder to maneuver, an even longer route via Route 2 and the Turners Falls-Gill Bridge.

“Having the option to have multiple routes to our mutual aid partners is pretty critical,” Strahan stressed.

Finishing the pedestrian lighting is the project’s only remaining work, according to Pennucci. The work may be done as early as this week, but could extend into next week depending on the weather. The sidewalk will be closed while work progresses and lane closures are possible.

“If a lane needs to be closed, it will be for a short length with alternating one-way traffic directed around the closure with minimal impact to traffic,” Pennucci wrote in a statement.

She also noted that construction costs are expected to fall within the original budget. The project was estimated at $13.7 million.

Future construction

While these repairs will ensure the integrity of the bridge for another 25 years, state Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver announced “an opportunity to advance the full replacement” of the structure in an email sent to state Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, and state Rep. Natalie Blais, D-Deerfield, last summer. The determination, Gulliver wrote at the time, came in response to advocacy “regarding the renewed support for additional work to remediate and to paint the upper trusses on the General Pierce Bridge” that had previously gone unanswered.

“Our analysis determined that, due to the age and condition of the bridge, the scope of work would need to expand considerably beyond painting and would additionally require extensive repair work to remove rusted structural elements that, although stable, are not suitable for painting,” Gulliver wrote in response to the Montague Selectboard inquiring about the bridge’s potential painting. “We considered several alternatives and determined that the approach that is the most resilient and least impactful to the community is to advance the full replacement of the bridge.”

No timeline has been set for the full replacement, but Selectboard Chair Rich Kuklewicz said previously that he anticipates work could commence only after completion of the $56 million three-bridge replacement project along the canal. Replacing Turners Falls Road’s “White Bridge,” the cross-canal “Green Bridge” and Sixth Street’s Bailey Bridge is expected to begin in four to five years.

“We are excited to know of the state’s intention to address a complete replacement of the bridge in the foreseeable future following completion of their commitment to replacing the bridges in the Turners Falls Canal District,” Ellis reiterated Monday. “I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that the state is willing to make these substantive commitments to ensure the viability and prosperity of our community.”

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.

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