MONTAGUE — Replacement of the South Street Bridge will entail a year-long closure beginning in late 2024, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) explained in a webinar Tuesday evening.

The South Street Bridge, which spans the Sawmill River, has suffered significant structural deterioration in recent years. A replacement project is budgeted for fiscal year 2024 with an estimated contract cost of roughly $4 million, funded through the 2024 Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) Transportation Improvement Program, according to MassDOT. The webinar, hosted by MassDOT over Zoom, provided town officials and residents with an overview of what the project’s stages and impacts will look like.

“It’s going to be an inconvenience for sure, but the bridge needs to get done and I think we have a good, safe way to do it,” Assistant Town Administrator Walter Ramsey said.

The replacement bridge will be a 58.5-foot structure with two 10-foot lanes and abutments positioned farther from the river’s flow than is the case presently. The current bridge was reduced to a single 12-foot lane of traffic in spring 2018 and has abutments that are largely in contact with the water.

Andy Benkert, project manager for design consultant WSP, said he and his team are raising the bridge as much as possible to accommodate the swelling of the Sawmill River during storms. Providing better clearance for the river’s flow will be paramount as the climate changes, Ramsey and Benkert agreed.

Work on the bridge will result in “limited impacts to resource areas,” according to MassDOT’s presentation. Temporary water control systems will be installed in the river to enable construction, while dredging will be performed to remove the buildup of sediment. Environmental permitting will include a water quality certification, a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) categorical exclusion and a pre-construction notification. Permits will be filed this summer, according to MassDOT.

The bridge’s design will be finalized next winter, MassDOT projected. The construction project will be advertised in spring 2024, with construction slated to take place from late 2024 to late 2025.

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

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