After the Brookside Road Bridge in Great Barrington was closed in May, it was announced that it would cost about $3.6 million to replace. This week, officials from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) said the new estimate is $11.6 million.
The timeline to complete construction on the bridge nearly doubled as well. State Rep. William Pignatelli saying it will take up to eight years after a meeting with MassDOT and town officials.
The design and engineering work will take four to five years, and bidding to construction would take two to three years, according to Rep. Pignatelli.
The cost increase is due to a project scope change. It began as a bridge preservation project, but became a bridge replacement project, according to John Goggin, a MassDOT spokesperson.
The bridge closed after a routine inspection by MassDOT found it unsafe. Support beams had decayed, and were never repaired or maintained by the town, according to The Berkshire Eagle. Inspection reports dating back to 2000 showed mounting deterioration.
The shutdown of the bridge has created a 20-minute detour that brings vehicles 5 miles south.
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Source: The Berkshire Edge, The Berkshire Eagle
