Work to replace Route 47 bridge over Fort River in Hadley to begin

HADLEY — Replacement of a bridge on Bay Road, postponed for more than six years during the Route 9 widening project, is getting underway.

The town of Hadley announced earlier this month that the state’s Department of Transportation would be starting the reconstruction of the Route 47 bridge over the Fort River, impacting traffic on the road.

Bay Road is one of the main east-west routes over the Connecticut River in Hampshire County, bringing traffic to and from South Hadley via Lawrence Plain Road and to and from the Atkins Corner area of Amherst, where vehicles come from both Belchertown via Bay Road and from Granby via The Notch.

“Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes when possible and plan for potential delays,” the town wrote, adding appreciation for their patience and cooperation as MassDOT “works to complete these necessary improvements.”

John Goggin, a spokesman for MassDOT, explained that the replacement Fort River bridge will be constructed in two phases, with one lane of alternating traffic controlled by temporary signals, with work to be completed in summer 2029.

In addition to the complete replacement of the bridge, Goggin said, the $6.8 million project “will also include the installation of a temporary pedestrian bridge, temporary traffic signals, guardrail, water main replacement, and loam and seeding.”

In February 2020, just prior to the pandemic, the state announced it would delay the work out of concern about two simultaneous projects taking place on significant east-west traffic routes. The decision came in response to appeals from Hadley officials, the town’s legislative delegation and the University of Massachusetts.

From February 2016 to October 2017, the bridge, originally constructed in 1935 and located next to the town’s water treatment plant at 129 Bay Road, was reduced to one lane with a temporary traffic signal while piers and pilings that hold up the bridge were fixed and various other repairs were done.

Meanwhile, the $28.2 million, 2.4-mile Route 9 project, from the town center at Middle Street east to the shopping malls, is nearing the finish line. When finished, the road will feature three 11-foot vehicle travel lanes — one in each direction and a dedicated turn lane — and an 8-foot wide, multiuse path on both sides of the state highway.

Baltazar Contractors Inc. of Ludlow resumed the work April 6, focusing on drainage and granite curb installation on the section of Route 9 between Home Depot and Florence Bank, near the intersection with North and South Maple streets.

That work included lane shifts with police details guiding alternating one-way traffic on weekdays from 7 a.m to 3:30 p.m.

Goggin said the project should conclude in mid-July, with Baltazar planning to mill the remaining section for paving in late April and final pavement placed in early May.

Under that schedule, paving will be complete prior to the May 14 commencement at UMass. Goggin said work will also be halted to accommodate graduation traffic, with about 20,000 visitors anticipated traveling to the campus that day.