And I'm tired of linking the waste and tax giveaways of this state government, folks. The local stories about this state's government just further depress me.
Also see: The Big Pit
"Temporary span is raising frustration on South Shore; The Fore River Bridge's replacement a long way off" by Eric Moskowitz, Globe Staff | July 21, 2008
QUINCY - The community's frustrations are partly a legacy of the Big Dig. Heavy debts left by the Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel project have sucked away billions of dollars from other long-awaited projects across the state, including construction of a permanent replacement for the Fore River Bridge, which carries Route 3A, a crucial South Shore artery, between Quincy and Weymouth.
In the case of the old Fore River Bridge, a concrete and steel drawbridge erected in the 1930s, officials were talking about the eventual need for repair or replacement at least by the early 1980s, when the Big Dig was in the planning stage.
"It's terrible," said Steve MacDonald of Hull, a marine engineer and tugboat operator who drives over and crosses under the bridge frequently. "You hear those plates jiggling when you go over it. Really scary."
MacDonald said he doesn't care much for the Big Dig, either. "It was a waste of this," he said, rubbing two fingers and a thumb together to simulate money.
YUP!!! BIG-TIME LOOTING!!!!
Not everyone thinks having a temporary bridge locally is such a bad tradeoff for the Big Dig. Peter Forman, president and chief executive of the Quincy-based South Shore Chamber of Commerce, said the Big Dig was good for the area. He also doubts the state would have proceeded faster with the Fore River Bridge or other capital projects if it had not been working on the Big Dig.
And while the temporary structure may not be beautiful or quiet, it beats a crumbling or closed bridge, he said.
"The fact is, for Eastern Mass., the tunnels and the Big Dig going through Boston really is a hub of travel and economic activity," Forman said. "Had you accelerated construction on secondary roads or other projects and still had horrendous bottlenecks in Boston, I'm not sure what would have been gained."
The state regularly maintains the temporary bridge, designed to last 15 years, and has paid particular attention since early reports emerged about missing or loose bolts on the bridge's pedestrian walkway. On Friday, workers closed one of the two Weymouth-bound lanes for repairs to the road plates, where the textured surface had worn away to the metal.
On a morning walk in the park under the bridge's Weymouth side, Gary Peters pocketed a rusty bolt and brought it back to his Bluff Road home, where he dropped it in a bucket filled with dozens like it, each thicker than a finger. Although workers on the bridge said the bolts were discarded or dropped during plate replacement, Peters is doubtful.
"You can hear it at night, buh-boink, buh-boink, buh-boink," Peters, an optician and community activist, said Friday. "What are we hearing? Those plates are loose. Something bad is going to happen."
The state is negotiating a design contract for a new bridge with STV, a national company based in Douglassville, Pa., and New York City, with an office in Boston, according to Hurtubise. Design, review, permitting, and other preparation work are projected to take seven years, with construction to follow, he said.
That timetable stretches to 2020, but it might be accelerated. Governor Deval Patrick identified Fore River in May as a priority when he submitted a $3 billion bond proposal to the Legislature for bridge work. Hedlund said he has mixed feelings about the bond, eager to see the project push forward but unsure whether the state can afford that much more transportation debt.
This state is in shambles, folks.
And the politicians?
They just gorge themselves at the public trough!
Either way, locals can expect years of continued traffic backups when the bridge is up. "I've gotten stuck in it many times coming to work," said Joe Caparrotta, store manager at Allied Auto Parts, on the Weymouth side. He said he has seen northbound traffic stopped on Route 3A all the way into Hingham.
Imagine being trapped in that traffic jam, huh?
Explain that to your boss!
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