Expected inclement weather this weekend is forcing work on the Pfc. Ralph T. Basiliere Bridge to be postponed a week.
State transportation officials said Wednesday this weekend’s planned closing of the bridge’s southbound side, heading from downtown Haverhill to Bradford, will now take place between Friday and Sunday nights, Feb. 21 to 23. Basiliere Bridge carries state Route 125 traffic over the Merrimack River.
The delay also means a planned full-day closing of the bridge, with detours to the Sgt. Joseph C. Comeau Bridge, now takes place Sunday, March 2. The work, which includes installation of a shoring system on the underside, is intended to reduce stress on the bridge’s outer edges until the entire 100-year-old structure can be replaced. That work tentatively starts later this year.
As it stands now, the southbound side closes from Friday, Feb. 21, at 8 p.m., through Sunday, Feb. 23, at 8 p.m. The short stretch of downtown road that begins at the intersection of Main, Merrimack and Water Streets—known as White’s Corner—is technically Bridge Street.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation said the closing is necessary to allow crews to safely and efficiently make substructure repairs over the Mayor James J. Fiorentini Bradford Rail Trail. Detours for southbound traffic will be established the first weekend and for all traffic Sunday, March 2.
There will also be temporary lane closings and lane shifts weekdays, between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. for additional repairs. The sidewalk on the easterly side of the bridge is expected to remain open, but cyclists are asked to walk because of narrow widths.