Drivers in Boston's Hyde Park neighborhood are breathing a sigh of relief after the River Street Bridge reopened following years of delayed repairs and extended closures.
"You know about the Amtrak that passes beneath, and it was connected to Acela's electricity, so that added to the delay of the project," said Boston City Councilor Enrique Pepén, who represents District 5.
After coordinating with Amtrak, Pepén and Massachusetts State Rep. Rob Consalvo gathered stakeholders to try to expedite repairs to the aging bridge.
"That's when the governor decided to appoint a project manager to the case, and that's when we started to see a lot of the progression," said Pepén.
Locals in Hyde Park had spent the better part of three years using alternative routes, often crowding into neighborhoods to ease their extended commutes.
Crossing over the bridge this week, drivers expressed appreciation for the project's completion.
"It's very convenient, instead of going all the way around," said one driver.
"I'm saving a lot of time," said another driver.
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Nearby businesses will also benefit following low or non-existent pedestrian and car traffic.
"They lost clientele, there were a few of them that unfortunately had to leave," said Pepén. "Now, the parking is back, the foot traffic is back, the actual visibility is back."
But more improvements are still to come for the River Street Bridge, as city, state and community leaders hope to replace the span completely sometime in the coming years.
"This was just a repair, per se. In a couple of years — two to three, we don't know the timeline yet — they're going to build the bridge offsite and replace it," said Pepén. "Take the old one out and put the new one in."
