Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
HAVERHILL, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is planning on fixing a Commuter Rail train bridge that crosses the Merrimack River, but Haverhill Mayor Melinda Barrett is not happy with the scheduled service disruptions.
The MBTA has plans to replace the Commuter Rail train bridge that crosses South Elm Street between the Bradford and Haverhill stations on the Haverhill Line.
Barrett said that the MBTA's original plan was to fix the bridge by only halting service to Haverhill station for a weekend.
“At the time, the plan was to close the railway for a weekend, drop it into place, call it a day.”
Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
But then, the Mayor’s Office received an update from the MBTA saying that service disruptions to the Haverhill station may last up to a year.
“I was not very pleased. It’s absolutely ridiculous,” expressed Barrett.
Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
“We have residents who have chosen to live here because of the access” to the train station, she explained, “and now we’re putting them in their cars and telling them, ‘Just drive over the bridge that’s already super crowded anyway.’”
Train service and traffic would shift to Bradford station, which is a half-mile away. “You’re going to have to hoof it for a year across the bridge, up a hill, with minimal sidewalks,” said Barrett.
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The MBTA said that they are “conducting a legislative briefing for elected officials in Haverhill, similar to the numerous meetings previously held with the City and the delegation, during which we will focus on developing strategies for how to best engage Haverhill officials and gathering resident feedback.”
The briefing is scheduled for Friday.
WBZ NewsRadio's Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.
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