An idea of what the new PFC Ralph T. Basiliere Bridge will look like will be shown during next month’s latest public information session.
Officials of the state Department of Transportation say they will share the results of the last eight months of work by the design team. The development concept will be unveiled Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 6 p.m., at the UMass Lowell Innovation Hub, 2 Merrimack St., Haverhill.
“We will discuss overall appearance, roadway cross-section, bicycle and pedestrian accommodations and other elements to give the structure an architectural character,” reads a statement.
Construction of the estimated $150 million replacement bridge—between downtown Haverhill and Bradford—is scheduled to be completed in 2027. Back in March, Eamon Kernan, MassDOT project manager, worked to manage expectations.
“We’re hoping the new structure will be an homage to the existing structure. It is not going to match it. It is going to be a modern bridge. It is going to be a new bridge, but we don’t want to completely clean the slate and put in, basically, like a highway bridge, if you want to call it that,” he said.
During construction, officials have said, one lane of traffic will be maintained in each direction for the 30,000 vehicles per day that use it. Actual construction isn’t expected to begin until 2025.