BRIDGEWATER — For eight years, Bill Warren has kept a wary eye on plans to tear down the dam and rebuild the bridge where High Street crosses the Town River.
He's treasurer and former president of the Lincoln Athletic Association, a haven for cold beer and smooth bocce courts founded by Italian immigrants in 1938. The project started in earnest on Monday, June 26, with the closure of the bridge. It's a massive job. Crews will remove the 200-year-old dry-fit boulders that prop up the river crossing, divert the river away from the dam, destroy the dam (except for the fish ladder) and erect a new crossing built to withstand the kind of floods that come once every 500 years.
The bocce club's tiny lot — less than a third of an acre — stands in the middle of it all.
"Whatever you do, make sure that our building doesn't tumble into the river," Warren recalls telling the project's other many stakeholders.
Now that the project's underway, Warren makes sure the workers know he's paying attention. As a union electrician, he knows his way around a worksite. There's also a charm offensive. The club makes its bathroom available to the workers and keeps cold water on hand for them.
It's supposed to be a four-month job, ending in October. Warren is skeptical they'll hit that date, but hopes it will be done by Thanksgiving.
"I just told these guys, 'I don't want to give you any Christmas presents,'" he said.
Why are they removing the dam?
Last week's work includes building a cofferdam to keep water out of the demolition and construction zone. Crews from Manafort Transit created a scene you don't see every day: Excavators rumbling over steel plates on top of thousand-pound bags of sand as workers wearing life jackets carefully place the bags one by one.
All this human activity is designed to benefit fish. River herring, for instance, will gain unimpeded access to 354 acres of spawning grounds upstream at Lake Nippenicket, according to project documents.
Removing the dam gives herring and other species an almost straight shot between the Atlantic Ocean, the Taunton River and their favorite places to spawn and rear young. There's one more dam 2.6 miles upriver in West Bridgewater. The project will reconnect 10 miles of river access for the river herring, American shad, American eel and sea lamprey, among other fish that spend parts of their life cycle in both fresh and saltwater, the project specs say.
Humans should also benefit. For one thing, the existing bridge (technically a river crossing) dates to 1790. A major goal of the project is to protect residents and their property from flooding that's expected to only get worse with climate change. The "Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan" for both Bridgewater and West Bridgewater, cites flooding as the most frequent hazard the towns face.
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When is the dam coming down and can I watch?
The dam is also on its last legs. Built in 1919, the state now considers it a significant hazard.
Bridgewater Town Manager Michael Dutton said contractors are targeting July 7 as demolition day for the 12-and-a-half foot high, 80-food wide dam. He expects crowds to line the river for the spectacle.
Who's paying for all this?
An alphabet soup of state, local and federal agencies and groups have come together to make this project possible. In all, Bridgewater has cobbled together $8.2 million from various sources.
"It's the fruit of a lot of effort by a lot of people," Dutton said. "The interests of the state and federal government collided."
A large blue sign at the worksite touts, "Project Funded By President Joe Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law." That's the administration's name for the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act. Specifically, the sign refers to $1.5 million from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Dutton said.
Dutton said the town has been lining up funding for the project for years.
"We won't be touching taxpayer money for this project," he said, referring specifically to Bridgewater taxpayers.
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There will be non-monetary hassles, of course. For those, Dutton apologizes in advance.
"We've been acknowledging that it's going to be an aggravation," he said. "We're somewhat thankful it's the summer months."
How long will the road be closed for?
High Street and the bridge closed to traffic on Monday, June 26 and are currently projected to re-open in mid-October.
The closure will impact traffic in the surrounding areas. Detour signage and electronic sign boards warning motorists of the closure have been positioned in the area.
Local traffic will be able to access homes and businesses on each side of the bridge during closure.
Where's the money coming from?
Bridgewater is tapping local, state and federal sources to offset the cost to town taxpayers. Here's a list:
- State: Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs - $1M
- State: Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program - $750K
- State: Department of Fish & Game - $2.5M
- Federal: National Fish & Wildlife Foundation - $2.29M
- Federal: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - $1.55M
- Local: Dam owner Advance Pollution Control Corporation - $10K
- Local: The Nature Conservancy - $60K
Source: Town of Bridgewater
Ghostly guardians?
Warren and other club members headed off one early plan that would have knocked down their riverside pergola. The club will get a new parking lot out of the deal, he said, since the project requires ripping up the existing one.
And if unexpected problems with the project wind up putting the Lincoln Athletic Association in danger? The powers that be won't have just Warren to worry about. They'll have to contend with the spirits of a whole platoon of the guys who beat the Nazis.
A plaque in the club carries their 40 calligraphed names, all local guys who went off to World War 2. Some of them didn't make it back. To make sure the Lincoln Athletic Association stands for another 85 years, those GI ghosts might have one last mission. After all, the Town River's headwaters are in the famously haunted Hockomock Swamp. You can't rule it out.
How is the High Street dam project affecting you? Send your news tips to reporter Chris Helms by email at CHelms@enterprisenews.com or connect on Twitter at @HelmsNews.
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