NEWBURY — Repairs to the Plum Island Turnpike drawbridge resumed Thursday, reducing the only way on or off the island to one lane – a traffic pattern that is expected to remain for roughly two months, according to town officials.
As a result, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation will employ a temporary alternating traffic pattern on the bridge as crews complete structural steel repairs. Work is scheduled to take place from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. until mid-December but crews may work around the clock if necessary.
In a statement, Newbury police Chief Patty Fisher called the repairs “necessary” and said she is pleased work is taking place when it will have the least possible impact on Plum Island traffic.
“I appreciate that it’s expected to be completed before the first snowfall,” Fisher said. “It goes without saying that people traveling through the single lane should use caution and abide by the traffic signals and speed. Be mindful that pedestrian and vehicle traffic are sharing the lane.”
While temporary traffic control signals and barriers are in place, a 24/7 signal-controlled, alternating traffic pattern will be used as work is performed beneath the bridge deck.
Signs and police details will also be used to guide drivers through the work zone. Drivers traveling through the work zone should expect delays, reduce their speed and use caution as the eastbound/westbound traffic patterns are subject to change, according to MassDOT.
Fisher said workers will be often stationed under the bridge.
“Just because you can’t see them, doesn’t mean they aren’t there,” Fisher said.
The work is being completed as part of a $7.7 million districtwide drawbridge operations and repair contract.
In March, MassDOT noted some deterioration in the steel along with some heaving of a limited portion of the bridge deck. MassDOT worked with the U.S. Coast Guard to implement a detour to keep the bridge closed to marine traffic until the interim repairs were performed, according to a MassDOT spokesperson.
That prompted MassDOT officials to devise a plan to shift motorists away from the center of the bridge where deterioration was discovered so that the interim repairs could be made. The temporary traffic plan was implemented April 19 right before those repairs began.
An April 19 advisory from MassDOT stated the drawbridge would not be open to marine vessels through Aug. 5 to allow for repairs to the road surface. The speed limit on the bridge was reduced and traffic was periodically limited to one lane to allow the state to restore the bridge to full capacity. Because one lane will remain open at all times, Newbury first responders will not be stationed on the island during construction, according to Fisher.
“We only station responders there if we anticipate the turnpike will flood or they’re opening the bridge,” the police chief said.
Fisher encourages residents to sign up for the town’s CodeRed rapid response notification system and to follow the Newbury Police Department on Facebook for the latest project information and for important messages throughout the year. To sign up for CodeRed, visit public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/943F7ED331D9.
Dave Rogers is the editor of the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.