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Four decades after a temporary solution was built to bridge sections of Lowell and provide access to Route 3 and I-495 for motorists in surrounding communities, a groundbreaking on Aug. 13 signified the dawn of a new transportation era — the construction of a modern, permanent replacement.
The Rourke Bridge honors the legacies of Raymond Rourke, a former Lowell mayor, state representative and deputy state Department of Transportation secretary, and his son, state Rep. Timothy Rourke, whose life was tragically cut short in 1982 at age 29 by a fatal car accident.
The bridge opened in 1985, two years after construction began.
The two-lane Bailey pony truss bridge spanned the Merrimack River, connecting the Highlands and Pawtucketville sections of Lowell.
Thought to be just a temporary solution for accommodating the growing number of vehicles from Lowell and surrounding communities, over time, it became overwhelmed by the volume of traffic, which routinely caused significant congestion throughout the surrounding area and delayed emergency vehicle response times, given its proximity to Lowell General Hospital on Varnum Avenue.
Not only was the bridge’s vehicle capacity inadequate, but the 40-year-old structure does not comply with current multimodal Americans with Disabilities Act standards for bicycle and pedestrian use.
The 1,250-foot span carries approximately 27,000 vehicles back and forth each day, including buses and other heavier vehicles. There are no shoulders or bike lanes, and pedestrians navigate the crossing in a steel cage that vibrates with passing traffic.
At the groundbreaking, U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan, a Lowell native, summed up the feelings of countless motorists over the decades by recalling her Rourke Bridge experiences.
“When I got my driver’s license I crossed the bridge, white-knuckled in my dad’s old pickup truck. If you’ve ever felt that bridge sway under your tires, or braced yourself as cars squeezed past in the opposite direction, you know exactly what I mean,” said Trahan.
Even the walking path, which sits on the west side of the bridge under a chain-link arch, is nerve-racking to walk across, the 3rd District U.S. rep said.
“That experience is not unique to me … Every person in Lowell, Dracut, Chelmsford, Tyngsboro and beyond has a story about the Rourke Bridge, the bottlenecks, the anxiety and the frustration.”
Those unpleasant memories should, like the existing temporary structure, fade into history once the new Rourke Bridge opens for business.
The new iteration will be built at more of an angle across the Merrimack River, with the southern end being in roughly the same spot as it is today — near Wood Street past the Collegiate Charter School’s athletic fields — while the northern end will connect farther to the west along Pawtucket Boulevard, across from Old Ferry Road.
It will include four total passenger vehicle lanes, two going in each direction, with a bicycle path and walking path.
By design, the new Rourke Bridge will arc over the Merrimack River on its six concrete piers.
The new span will improve passage, sightlines and safety for all users. The placement of the six piers maximize the width of usable riverway for recreational use such as rowing and boating.
The new bridge, which has a 75-year service life, will be three times as wide as the existing two-lane bridge, a welcome relief for motorists used to the claustrophobic feel of the current one.
While preliminary sight work, including soil boring samples, utility work and tree clearing at the north and south approaches, has already begun, construction, which is expected to take up to four years, is scheduled to start in earnest this fall.
The temporary bridge will remain in use during that time; it won’t be demolished until the new one opens for traffic in 2029 or 2030.
The design-build project, which keeps costs down by combining final design and construction into a single phase, will be built by construction firm Skanska USA and Jacobs Solutions Inc.
In April, MassDOT announced that Skanska was awarded the $274 million contract.
In June, Skanska announced that it had been awarded a $303 million contract.
That sum includes a fund for unexpected expenses.
Hopefully, unlike Skanska’s experience with the Lowell High construction/rehab project, those funds will cover any contingencies.
The majority of the construction capital will come from the federal government, with the remaining portion from state and local sources.
The city of Lowell will allocate $10 million to support the construction of water main connection work by the Lowell Regional Water Utility adjacent to the new bridge.
The project will increase the city’s ability to provide potable water backup when needed for the Highlands.
State and federal money funds the bridge design and construction costs, but incidental costs such as cross connections and utilities fall on the municipalities.
Aside from harrowing stories of traversing a span that has lasted far beyond its intended purpose, that bridge kept the memory of two honored sons of Lowell alive.
And now, this new motorist, pedestrian and bicyclist friendly bridge will carry the Rourke name well into the next century.
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