Bridge unlikely to reopen soon

Nearly every day, Caraline Levy of Barber Road in Framingham makes her way to Route 9 east, headed for the YMCA, Trader Joe's, Walgreens, or dinner at a restaurant. The trip used to be easy, taking her over the Main Street Bridge. But four years ago, the state closed the 126-year-old overpass to cars and trucks, citing structural concerns. Levy and other area residents now have to take more roundabout routes. She wants to know why the bridge has still not been fixed.

"I don't know too much about the value of these truss bridges, and I'm open to learning about why it's important we save these from extinction," Levy told GlobeWatch. "But, at this point, I'd like to see the bridge operational. After all, it is Main Street."

Until 1998, the state, which has jurisdiction over almost all bridges in the Commonwealth, planned to demolish it and build a no-frills concrete replacement.

But Main Street residents, led by Chris Bauler -- whose 1830 house abuts the bridge and overlooks the Sudbury River -- asked officials to consider the bridge's historic significance. Neighbors called on the state to preserve the cast iron trusses and medallion-ornamented wrought-iron railings. The state agreed. (It happened to be an election year, Bauler recalled, and local politicians were eager to take up her neighborhood's cause.) The bowstring arch truss bridge was built in 1878. It has has two gently curving trusses, resembling archers' bows, that loop over its deck. This style was once popular, but the Main Street Bridge may be the only one of its kind left in the state, Bauler said.

The state revised its replacement plans. It decided to remove the rusty trusses and railings, then sandblast, repaint, and reattach them to an otherwise new structure, said Peter Sellers, Framingham's public works director. The design also calls for a new wooden deck to replace the 52-year-old iron grid deck, which is still used by bikers and pedestrians. Jon Carlisle, a spokesman for the Department of Transportation, said the state has designed about 75 percent of the project, and will be finished by early next year. But two years ago, the department said it was at that same stage, according to published reports.

But design is only one hurdle. The state is counting on Washington to foot the bill for the reconstruction. The money is in a long-stalled $11 billion transportation bill, which Congress could take up when it reconvenes in November. If the bill passes, the project still must go out to bid; the earliest work could begin is 2006, Carlisle said.

At $543,000, the bridge renovation is among the cheapest federally funded transportation projects that the state has in the pipeline. State Representative Karen Spilka, a Democrat from Ashland, said she has been pressuring Mass. Highway to speed up the process.

As the years pass, the bridge continues to decay, and some of Framingham's tiny side streets are becoming increasingly congested and treacherous, Spilka said. Levy noted that one cut-through, Buckminster Street, is one-way, and has "become a raceway."

Still, not everyone is keen about reopening Main Street for the masses, primarily those who live on Main Street between Union Avenue and the river. "It's transformed the neighborhood," said Cliff Hendricksen of closing the bridge. It's created a virtual cul-de-sac with a walking bridge at the end, he said.

Hendricksen, who lives across the street from Bauler, said he had almost forgotten what it was like to have cars speeding past his house and 18-wheelers clattering over the bridge. Instead, people now stroll by his house with baby carriages, dogs, and fishing poles.

Bauler said she intends to organize neighbors to petition for traffic restrictions on the rebuilt bridge. Her wish list? No trucks, speed bumps, and one-way traffic only -- going away from Route 9.

WHO'S RESPONSIBLE?

John Cogliano, Massachusetts Highway Department commissioner

10 Park Plaza, Suite 3510

Boston 02116

617-973-7800