CUMMINGTON — A handful of residents came to see state transportation officials mark the beginning of an $8.6 million project to restore the town’s “Green Bridge,” a vital piece of infrastructure connecting communities to the west with Hampshire County, and a landmark in town since 1939.
Despite being brown and rusted, the Green Bridge has kept its name over time. Upcoming repairs will include reinforcing steel supports, updating rail guards and repairing the concrete substructure. And when that work is all done, the bridge will get a fresh coat of green paint to match its name.
The funding to repair the state-owned bridge was awarded in September by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s highway division, and Northern Construction Services of Palmer will complete the work. The project is expected to last three years.
“Transportation is about allowing freedom of movement, and when you look at important corridors like this that carries vehicles, trucks, and commerce, it’s huge to a community,” Philip Ang, interim secretary of transportation, said at a Thursday press conference kicking off the project.
Just over the course of the half hour that officials were out on the cold, drizzly morning, there were dozens of vehicles crossing over the bridge — cars, tractor trailers, and a couple trucks transporting logs.
Ang said that by staying on top of maintenance by doing repairs, it will prevent having to replace the bridge entirely in the future and will cause fewer disruptions for drivers.
“If we were to defer work, somewhere in the future it would need to be a full replacement. And that’s more disruptive, and so much more costly,” he said.
With Ang were Democratic state legislators Sen. Paul Mark and Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, and Kenneth “Trudge” Howes, chair of the town’s select board.
Howes said that the bridge is always a point of reference when giving directions to people unfamiliar with the area. Despite the current condition, he said, “The green bridge. That’s what it’s always been to us. So to say we’re happy to see this bridge restored and returned to green is an understatement.”
In 1991 the bridge was painted brown but its original name stuck nonetheless. The steel structure, which spans the Westfield River just east of town, replaced an older concrete bridge that was damaged during a hurricane in 1938.
The bridge’s role as a regional connector has a special significance to Mark. “When I went to UMass I commuted. I used to come through here on my way from the town of Hancock,” he said. “And when I represented Greenfield, I would come through here almost every single day.”
The legislators praised the state for taking action and voiced how much the repairs mean to the community.
Mark said that Ang had worked on the Manhattan’s 25-mile Tappan Zee Bridge at one point. “And proportionally, this might sound goofy, this is as important,” he said.
“Cummington is a town that punches well above its weight,” Sabadosa said. “Halfway between Pittsfield and Northampton, it is a critical community where we need to do some more investing, and this is just part of that continued good news for Cummington.”