When Will the Pelham Island Bridge Reopen?

Pelham Island resident Gary Slep has been providing updates on the bridge project to neighbors and media. He provided the information below.

The [attached] picture says it all. It’s the first of three asphalt layers, and the thickest of them.

The middle layer of asphalt, the binder layer, will be done shortly; the final coat may have to wait until spring.

The raised, unpaved strip on the left in the photo is the sidewalk, which will be poured soon, maybe Thanksgiving week.

Some of you are still concerned about when the bridge will actually be opened to traffic. In short, I do not know.

The contractor is trying to get most of the work done this fall before opening the bridge. If the work cannot proceed due to circumstances beyond its control, such as moving the utility poles and the gas line, the contractor will stop work and open the bridge soon, probably within a couple of weeks. But if it can proceed, it will do so, opening the bridge no later than the week ending Dec. 22 according to Wayland’s town planner. The more they get done this year, the fewer closure days in the spring. So the bridge could open this month, or around Dec. 8, or later, during the week of Dec. 18-22.

Those of you who have been here a long time know that the original schedule for replacing the bridge several years ago included a closure period of 18 to 24 months. The actual work is taking six months. Let’s be thankful – it is Thanksgiving after all.  

Kudos to the contractor, AA Will, MassDOT, and to Wayland officials who have helped immensely in getting this project moving and keeping it on track for a single contract season reopening.