Curious Why Sharon's 'Little Dig' Taking So Long
WBZ
Drivers in Sharon call it the "Little Dig" and they want to know when it's finally going to be finished.
Why is it taking so long to fix the bridge at the busy intersection of Route 1 and Interstate 95?
Before they even get to Boston, drivers heading north on Route 1 in Sharon say they have daily traffic delays, with what feels like a never ending construction project.
John from Plainville was Curious:
My wife and I enjoyed Dawn Hasbrouck's report about the Route 495 bridge in Lowell.
Here's a story suggestion: while one bridge is suffering from no maintenance a second has been the focus of the state's undivided attention for at least two years! (it may be longer).
One would think that this bridge must be one of the most complicated construction projects in Massachusetts with the amount of time and effort that has gone into fixing it.
It's located in the Walpole/Sharon area at the junction of Route 1 and Route 95. It is a real bottleneck especially during the morning rush hour period and despite many weekend days (overtime?) the project just never seems to get done.
Why?
We went to find out.
The Department of Transportation told WBZ when they started the original two-year project to replace the deck on the bridge they found several structural steel deficiencies that had to be fixed.
The work started in May 2006 and was scheduled to end in May 2008.
But with the extra repair work, the target end date is now September 2010 - a delay of more than two years!
And the costs add up.
Originally projected to cost $6.2 million, this is now a $13 million project.
The Department of Transportation says it's a challenge to find the balance between keeping this busy stretch of road as open as possible and getting the work done as fast as they can.
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