Newton, Needham bridge project may get $1.6 million in federal funds
The scenic but dilapidated Christina Street Rail Bridge that connects Newton and Needham, may get a second life now that federal funding for the project passed its first hurdle.
“This project is about mobility, sustainability and community,” said U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-04, of Newton.
The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, recently voted for the “Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America) Act,” according to Auchincloss.
The full House will soon vote on the act, although as of June 17, no date had been set.
The Christina Street span is one of six projects Auchincloss proposed from his district that will be included in the measure. If passed, $1.6 million in federal funding will go toward rehabilitating or replacing the bridge.
The span “connects many people who live near Christina Street with beautiful DCR [Department of Conservation and Recreation] recreational paths in Needham,” said Newton City Councilor-at-Large Alicia Bowman. “It also gives people who work and live near 2nd Avenue and beyond an easy, safe connection to the amenities along Needham Street. I look forward to the project being fully designed and built.”
Auchincloss said the new or reconstructed bridge would create “an accessible, shared-use bicycle and pedestrian connection between Newton and Needham, with recreational value for residents and off-road connections for employees accessing nearby businesses.”
“The INVEST in America Act is a $547 billion surface transportation reauthorization bill that will create good-paying jobs to rebuild and re-imagine America’s surface transportation infrastructure,” said Auchincloss.
Separate but related track
The city is also working on a feasibility study and conceptual design for the bridge. This is separate from the potential INVEST in America Act funding.
“This is a grant-funded project through the MassTrails Program which must be completed by 6/30/21,” according to the city’s website. The $56,700 grant was awarded to Newton and Needham for the project.
According to Councilor Bill Humphrey, the feasibility study will assess three possible scenarios and develop concept plans for each. These include:
- Rehabilitating the bridge
- Building a new bridge on the same site
- Building a different bridge nearby instead
“VHB (the firm doing the structural and geometric assessments) is moving full steam ahead to get the complete feasibility report [and] rough concept plans of the preferred scenario to us by the 6/30/21 deadline,” emailed Claire Rundelli, assistant environmental planner for the city.
Source:
Julie Cohen