HAVERHILL — The city will receive $10 million from the federal government to replace the old railroad bridge across the Merrimack River — but it is too little money to do the job.
U.S. Senator John Kerry and Congresswoman Niki Tsongas said this week federal transportation officials are awarding the $10 million for the bridge, which connects the western end of downtown to Bradford. Some city councilors have said they fear the bridge, built in 1919, is in such poor condition it will collapse. State officials said it is safe.
Local officials are calling the $10 million a welcome down payment toward a larger amount of money needed to replace the bridge — as much as $98 million. They said the city will continue seeking other grant money to get the job done.
“The Congresswoman will continue to work with state officials, MBTA, and federal officials to identify additional sources of funding for the bridge replacement, but the $10 million serves an important initial down payment on the part of the Department of Transportation,” said John Noble, spokesman for Tsongas.
The bridge is heavily used by MBTA commuter trains, the Amtrak Downeaster and PanAm freight trains. Because of its deteriorated condition state transportation officials have been planning for its eventual replacement.
While the structure has been declared safe by MBTA officials, trains must cross at reduced speeds, which causes significant delays, especially for commuters, officials said.
In April, the state submitted a formal application for $98.4 million in federal High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail funds to replace the bridge. The request was denied and instead of receiving the bridge money, the state was awarded $20.8 million to build a 10-mile section of double track between Haverhill and Boston.
In October, Kerry wrote to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood asking him to support the state’s application for money for the Haverhill’s bridge, saying it a vital link in connecting coastal new Hampshire and Maine with the Greater Boston area.
“We’ve been working at this a long time,” Kerry said on Tuesday. “This is absolutely needed to sustain more high-speed passenger and freight trains, less congestion, easier commutes and jobs. I’m sure Secretary LaHood is tired of hearing from me on this one, but he’s always listened and he’s really come through for Massachusetts. I’m deeply grateful.”
The two-track railroad bridge that crosses the river at the western edge of downtown is similar in design to the one that collapsed in Minneapolis in 2007. Following a 2008 inspection of Haverhill’s bridge, the MBTA put in place restrictions that limit freight trains to 5 mph and commuter trains to 15 mph when crossing the bridge. The MBTA made extensive repairs to the bridge’s deck in 2008, including replacing timbers, installing walkways and railings across the full length and laying about 8,000 feet of rail.
Mayor James Fiorentini said Haverhill is one of only three communities in the state to be the recipient of such federal grant money. He said the grant cannot be used for other capital projects, such as building a new Hunking School to replace the existing one that has structural problems.
“It is a great start. It will play an important role in our continued economic development,” he said, thanking Kerry, Tsongas and state Sen. Steven Baddour and state Rep. Brian Dempsey for their lobbying efforts to get the money.
“There is no question the $10 million is not enough to do the whole project and the rest of the money has to come from somewhere,” Fiorentini said. “Going by what the MBTA told me, it will either be an extensive repair or replacement.”
Fiorentini said MBTA will be doing additional assessments of the bridge to determine what level of repairs are needed.
“Our interest is having it stay safe and be usable for the future,” he said. “Only the MBTA and engineers can say if it needs to be replaced.”
City Council President Michael Hart said the improvements the grant will help achieve are desperately needed.
“I can’t say enough about how important this is for the city of Haverhill,” Hart said.
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