City Council Discusses Long Island Bridge Reconstruction

This month, Boston City Council held a hearing to discuss the reconstruction of the Long Island Bridge. The Long Island Bridge was closed by Mayor Marty Walsh in 2014 citing safety concerns. In early 2018, Walsh pledged to start reconstruction on the bridge, and prioritize the reopening of the drug-treatment services that the island had hosted before the bridge’s closure. The facility on the island will help fight the growing opioid crisis in the Boston metropolitan area.

Public comment at the hearing was passionate and emotional, with roughly ten citizens coming forward. Sabrina Marty, an activist and former drug addict called the ongoing epidemic a “manmade health crisis,” that had to be addressed with urgency. Sue Sullivan, the executive director of Newmarket Business Association, later commented on how she believes the bridge will help drug-treatment, but not adequately address the homeless issue that impacts many of her clients.

“It alleviates pressure from all over, and it gets people into recovery. That’s not going to change the homeless situation. What will change the homeless situation is permanent supportive housing, and that’s not what’s going to be on Long Island.”

Due to the exhaustive construction process and coordination with the Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard, the committee projects that the earliest possible completion time for the bridge is two years. The bridge has a designated $108 million budget. According to Chief of Streets Chris Osgood, roughly $432,000 of this has already been spent on scouting, though construction has not started. A page has been created on the City of Boston website to provide updated information on the bridge’s status. A public feedback portal is available as well.

The committee continues to argue with the City of Quincy over permits to allow construction vehicles to travel across the bridge. On September 25, Quincy sent a letter of denial to the committee, also requesting $250,000 for their lawyers. Quincy’s cooperation, the reconstruction will not be able to continue.

“It’s going to take a lot of work and time and effort, but our goal… is to partner with them,” said Chief Marty Martinez, the head of Health and Human Services.

This piece was produced as a part of Emerson College’s Beat Reporting course in Fall 2018.