Fall River bridge replacement details 'wishy-washy' says business owner

An art instructor in Fall River is concerned about the impact the pending closure of the McQuarrie Bridge will have on her business.

The bridge will be closed for about six weeks to allow crews to completely replace it. A pedestrian bridge will remain open to allow people to cross back and forth.

45 minute detour

Sabrina Wakfer, owner of Brushstroke Studios, said the pending closure has already cost her about $3,500 because a number of students have backed out of her summer art camps due to the 45 minute detour, round-trip. 

"When they announced the bridge actually closing for the summer, I lost about half of the students that were registered for camp," said Wakfer. 

"That was a little depressing because this is the only job I have in the summer." 

Mitigating impact on traffic

City spokesman Brendan Elliott said the city is doing everything it can to mitigate the impact on traffic. Elliott said the contractor is putting together as much of the bridge as possible before installing it, to cut down the time it will have to be shut down. 

Construction on the bridge will begin in mid to early July and wrap up by Aug. 26, Elliott said. He added that the bridge replacement was ranked seventh on a list of 31 bridges in the municipality that needed work. 

"It's reached the end of its serviceable life," said Elliott. "Back in 2013, it said the entire underside of the bridge is subject to fire damage. Deck replacement is recommended as soon as possible. So this is a bridge that really needs a lot of work."

'Wishy-washy'

The bridge replacement will cost the city $1.3 million. It will also include an extension of the right turning lane from Fall River Road onto Highway 2. 

Elliott said detour signs will be posted well in advance of the bridge in strategic areas. He said the city has already sent out 300 notices to people in the area. 

But Wakfer called the notice "wishy-washy," saying it lacked details. She said the impact would not have been as bad if the city had given people more notice, and been more forthcoming with specifics on the plan. 

'Necessary evil'

"It's a lot of hearsay, you know people have heard this and heard that, but that's not reliable because we don't know for sure what really is going on," said Wakfer.  

Faye Cody, executive member of the Fall River Business Association, said the association was aware of the plan. Cody called the closure a "necessary evil" that "needed to be done." 

"It's an absolute inconvenience, but I don't see any way around it," said Cody.