The impacts of the Broadway Bridge closure were discussed at a community meeting last Wednesday. ~Photos by Donald Norton

By Jim Clark

A community meeting to discuss the Broadway/Ball Square Bridge closure and detour routes was held last Wednesday, August 29, at Community Baptist Church in Somerville.

The City of Somerville Director of Transportation and Infrastructure Brad Rawson led the meeting, opening with a few remarks concerning the Green Line Extension project construction activities, as well as the present and future impacts that the project will have on the community as time goes on.

Ward 6 Alderman Lance Davis and Ward 5 Alderman Mark Niedergang each in turn addressed those present, expressing their desire to create a working dialog between the GLX representatives and members of the community.

Next, Rawson ran through a slide presentation that illustrated the complexity of the project in relation to the bridge renovation. He addressed the questions of rebuilding the bridge in two stages and other alternative methods by stating that it would be more effective if the construction was done fully and immediately because of the actual physical nature of the bridge.

Questions and comments from members of the community ranged from proposed routing changes for the detours, to alternative methods of bridge reconstruction and how businesses in the Ball Square area can cope.

A video of the full meeting is available for viewing online at: https://youtu.be/9zWJl_cJbHA.