Published: 01/31/2008
No return to traffic nightmare; Groveland Bridge will stay open while new one is built
By Mike LaBellaStaff Writer
HAVERHILL - Mention building a new bridge, and a commuter's nightmare might come to mind for local drivers.
They remember all too well going five years without a bridge at the west end of downtown. The old, deteriorated Comeau Bridge closed in 2002, and its replacement didn't open until September of last year - forcing drivers to find another way to cross the Merrimack River and causing rush-hour traffic jams.
That won't be the case when the state builds a new Groveland Bridge at the east end of Haverhill, transportation officials said.
The new Groveland Bridge, which links the Riverside section of Haverhill with downtown Groveland, will be built a few yards downstream from the existing bridge, said Tony Komornick, transportation program manager for the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission. He said the project would take two or three years to complete, and that during that time the existing bridge will remain open to traffic.
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