BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION: MassDOT awards contract for new Fore River Bridge

Massachusetts Department of Transportation's Fore River Bridge Replacement project took a giant leap toward construction last week when MassDOT’s board of directors awarded a $244.6 million contract for the replacement.

"The action taken by the Board today allows MassDOT to continue delivering on the Patrick-Murray administration's pledge of job creation and infrastructure investment for the benefit of our current and future customers," said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Richard Davey in a statement.

The current Fore River Bridge is a temporary structure, carrying Route 3A over the Fore River and linking the communities of Quincy and Weymouth, and is utilized by roughly 32,000 vehicles each weekday. MassDOT plans to replace the current structure with a movable span that can serve drivers, pedestrians and maritime users for the next 75 years. The contract was awarded to White-Skanska Koch, J.V.

The bridge is one of five projects identified by MassDOT as "mega projects" within the state's Accelerated Bridge Program, which has to date completed approximately 90 bridge projects, with another 72 currently under construction. Another 25 bridge projects are on the calendar to begin construction within the next year. This program has helped reduce the number of the state's structurally deficient bridges from 543 to 439, a drop of 19.2%.

Additional information on MassDOT's Fore River Bridge Replacement Project is available at http://www.massdotprojectsforeriverbridge.info/.