City Council in New Bedford, Mass., OKs $21M Pedestrian Bridge to Rail Station

The city council in New Bedford, Mass., gave the greenlight to build a new $21 million pedestrian bridge, providing a walkway over John F. Kennedy Boulevard and linking it to an under-construction South Coast Rail station in the fishing port city.

The bridge will connect Purchase Street with the New Bedford’s Church Street rail station, operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).

Mayor Jon Mitchell had asked the council to approve a Memorandum of Understanding between the MBTA and the city for the bridge, the New Bedford Standard-Times reported Jan. 27.

“New Bedford deserves public amenities and spaces that are both functional and beautiful,” Mitchell said in a press release. “For a highly visible structure like this pedestrian bridge, excellence in design is a must. We have achieved that goal with this design, and I am grateful for the collaborative efforts between our team and the MBTA’s. The result will be a new city landmark of which we can all be proud.”

The deal came after more than a year of negotiations between New Bedford and the MBTA, with the transportation authority agreeing to design and build the pedestrian crossing according to the city’s preferences. In addition, New Bedford will not be responsible for any of the building costs.

Town Councilor Brian Gomes had wanted to refer the Memorandum of Understanding request to a special committee before approval, saying he had questions concerning maintenance costs and long-term security issues. He added that he was in favor of accepting the bridge but wanted an extra session first.

But the New Bedford news source reported that Council President Linda Morad said a special meeting would need to happen before the Feb. 8 deadline on the memorandum of agreement with the MBTA. That led Ryan Pereira, another New Bedford councilor, to say he preferred immediate action from the board, reminding his colleagues construction of the $21 million pedestrian bridge was being paid for by the state, and the city must pay for the upkeep of state property in any event.

Following that, the motion to OK the request was passed in a 6-4 vote.

The construction project is now expected to begin this summer.

South Coast Rail Expanding in SE Massachusetts

The Standard-Times noted that 2022 saw tremendous progress on the long-awaited South Coast Rail project that will connect New Bedford, Taunton, and Fall River to commuter rail access to Boston. Currently, the three southeastern Massachusetts communities are the only major cities within