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DCR AWARDS $17.2
MILLION IN CONTRACTS FOR STORROW DRIVE
TUNNEL AND BOWKER OVERPASS REPAIRS
The Department of
Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has
awarded an $11.5 million contractto SPS
New England of Salisbury to make interim
repairs to the Storrow Drive Tunnel,
which carries eastbound (inbound)
traffic through
Boston's
Back Bay neighborhood. DCR
has also awarded SPS a $5.69 million
contract for repairs to the Bowker
Overpass, which carries traffic onto Storrow Drive
westbound from the Fenway.
Work on
the Storrow Drive Tunnel is expected to
start in July and continue until the end
of November, then begin again in spring.
The project is expected to be completed
by the end of April, 2009.
Tunnel repairs will
include replacing deteriorated concrete
in the roof and wall sections of the
tunnel and installing waterproofing
membranes in roof joints to prevent
water seepage. Also,the stormwater
collection system in the tunnel will be
connected to a groundwater recharge
system along Back Street.
The
Bowker repairs are expected to start in
mid-June, and be completed in October
2009. That work will include replacing
the deck and roadway; replacing the
street lighting on the roadway and the
pedestrian lighting under the structure;
repairing the cement support structures;
and repairing and painting the steel
structure.
Because the
existing Charles
River
walkway winds under the Bowker Overpass,
pedestrians will be temporarily detoured
while the repair work is taking place.
To accommodate foot traffic, the
contractor is constructing a
10-foot-wide floating walkway in the Charles River around the work site. Work on the overpass
will not begin until the walkway is
complete, expected to be in mid-June.
"We are very
pleased to be moving forward with
repairs on both of these projects," said
DCR Commissioner Richard K. Sullivan Jr.
"This work will enable DCR to plan
carefully for the longer-term future of
the tunnel and surrounding area, and
will ensure the integrity of both
structures for several years to come."
"I am pleased that
DCR has started the long overdue repairs
to the Bowker overpass and ismaintaining
its commitment to community
involvement," Stated Representative
Byron Rushing. "I look forward to
working with DCR to ensure that the work
causes as little disturbance to the
neighborhood as possible and that the
temporary detours are accessible."
To
address the community's questions and
concerns on traffic management and other
construction issues surrounding both the
Storrow Drive Tunnel and Bowker Overpass
projects, DCR has scheduled a public
meeting on June 4, 6-8:30 p.m., in the
Boston Public Library's Rabb Auditorium, 700 Boylston St. The
first hour will be devoted to a
discussion of the Storrow Tunnel
project, followed by a discussion of the
Bowker project.
"Since
these repair projects may have an impact
on local residents, I encourage those
who have questions and concerns to
attend the public meeting. This is an
opportunity to meet with the state
officials who are responsible for
ensuring that the project go smoothly
and with a minimum of disruption in our
community," said Representative Marty
Walz.
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