SOUTHAMPTON — Town officials will meet Tuesday evening to update residents on the status of the East Street Bridge replacement.
“It’s an informational session,” Maureen Groden, chairwoman of the Select Board said.
The bridge replacement is being funded through a $1 million MassWorks grant, as well as $1.6 million in borrowing authorized by town residents. The bridge connects Southampton with Holyoke, allowing East Street to cross the Manhan River.
The forum will be held over Zoom at 6:45 p.m. and will be hosted by the town’s Select Board as part of its Tuesday meeting.
Groden said that the forum, which will seek to address a number of questions from residents, will feature John Furman of VHB, the engineering firm that’s designing the replacement bridge.
“People for the most part are looking forward to having it done,” Town Manager Ed Gibson said of the bridge’s replacement. “The bridge is in pretty poor shape.”
Gibson said that the design process for the replacement is nearly complete, and that the new bridge will have a sidewalk on one side and a bike lane on the other.
“The current bridge is narrow and has no sidewalks,” he said.
Gibson said that construction could begin in late winter or early spring. The bridge could be shuttered for “as much as a year.” However, he said that a full estimate won’t be available until after the project goes out to bid, which is expected to happen after VHB secures a waterways license from the Department of Environmental Protection.
The town’s Conservation Commission has also approved the project, with conditions.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.