The Rourke Bridge, a critical transportation span over the Merrimack River in Lowell, Mass., carries about 27,000 vehicles per day, according to MassDOT. Built in 1983 as a temporary bridge, the bridge’s vehicle capacity is inadequate, and it does not comply with current multi-modal ADA standards for bicycle and pedestrian features.

“One of the most significant challenges [for the design-build project] will be constructing the new bridge over the Merrimack River, with much of the work performed from barges,” Rob Pine, Skanska vice president of operations in Waltham, Mass. said in an email. “Working in an active river environment requires careful planning to protect the waterway while keeping the project on schedule and ensuring the safety of our workers and the public.”

Construction to replace the Rourke Bridge began in May and the project is “expected to achieve full beneficial use with the new bridge open to full capacity for all modes of transportation in 2029,” MassDOT spokesman John Goggin said in an email.

The existing bridge will remain open for use until completion of the replacement structure. Once the new bridge opens, the existing bridge will be demolished.

Designed for a 75-year service life, the replacement bridge will be a seven-span structure with seven steel-plate girders per span. The project also includes intersection reconstruction at both ends of the bridge, bicycle and pedestrian features, stormwater infrastructure improvements, highway lighting, landscaping and utility relocations.

“It will provide expanded capacity, strength, durability and aesthetic features that will serve the Lowell community and the surrounding region for decades to come,” Pine says.

Since MassDOT has received necessary permits for the bridge design and construction, Skanska will proceed “ensuring full compliance with the permits and protecting the environmentally sensitive areas as we design and build the bridge,” Pine says.

About 80% of the projects funding is federal with the majority of the other 20% coming from state funding. The project will also receive about $3.6 million in local funding, Goggin says.

Since the project has received federal funding under the Build America Buy America Act, Pine says risks associated with “shifting tariff policies” of the Trump Administration should be diminished.

MassDOT’s decision to replace the bridge was based on a study and feasibility analysis of the bridge and surrounding streets that was conducted in 2013, the agency website notes.