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– News covered by Quincy Quarry News with commentary added.
Dedicated at great expense but remain closed to the public for at least a couple months longer
A Quincy Quarry exclusive image
Quincy’s Generals Bridge not to open until year-end.
In spite of the estimated quarter of a million spent or more spent on the invitation-only Generals Gala held on public property and the dedication of the Generals Bridge a month ago as well as gobsmackingly held concurrently during the otherwise elsewhere solemn twentieth anniversary of the tragic loss of innocent lives on 9/11, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (“MassDOT”) more recently announced that the bridge would likely not be opened to traffic and thus actual use until the end of the year.
At best, that is.
Burgin Parkway is a giant pothole …
A Quincy Quarry News exclusive image
Said MassDOT communications director Kristen Punnucci, “MassDOT anticipates that the Generals Bridge will reach Full Beneficial Use by the end of 2021. (At the same time, ed.,) (p)lease note that the (remaining, ed.) work is weather dependent and subject to change.”
In other words, between only to be expected claims of climate change as well as COIVID-19 supply chain problems, one should plan on full beneficial use of the bridge not likely happen until around Presidents Day in the City of Presidents.
After all, MassDOT is what it is, not to mention that – best-case – completion of the project is running at least seven months late at this point.
Mayor Koch voguing at a photo op with French Cuffs uncuffed
An old Facebook photo
Plus, while long-suffering locals and commuters are surely looking forward to anticipated improvement in the traffic flow along Burgin Parkway within the bridge’s larger construction site, everyone should question while Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch made such a big deal about things months before the bridge might actually be opened up for use by the taxpayers who are paying for it.
Then again, what with Mayor Koch’s gala not open to the public, why should anyone be surprised over his also concurrently grifting himself with yet another photo op.
Any wagers on it opening by the end of the year?
I’m betting against it.
On the other hand, when and if it ever does open I’m betting on two more places for traffic jams. Two more problems for drivers to deal with.
This town needs fewer traffic obstacles not more.
Louie,
Good luck putting down a bet. I tried to lay off some action with the money wise guys within La Kocha Nostra and not even they would take the under.
I can’t understand why after all these years. Many many many years. The press in Quincy, the public in Quincy, other officials in Quincy – none of them have talked about how the mayors over the years have let Quincy Square turn into such a shithole. To satisfy their own political gains. It’s just a dilapidated, rundown, empty shell of past years. How anyone with any power holding office over the years let it get so bad is a disgrace.
I refuse to even drive through there anymore. It breaks my heart to see what it’s become. I’ve talked to so many people over the years about how wonderful the square was. Just full of people. Shopping. You could go there on a Friday night or Saturday during the day and get every bit of your Christmas shopping done. It ran like a fine-tuned clock.
Then the political game came in and drove all the store owners out. The biggest joke I find is building the RMV building, only to tear it down to put in a shortcut road. That’s all it is. It’s just so sad that nobody even tried to keep businesses coming in. Out of all the cities and towns on the South Shore, Quincy just fell off the map.
Look instead at Weymouth. Look what Mayor Hedlund has done. I wish he had his hands on the Quincy years ago. He knows what he is doing.
Maybe I’m missing something but why do we need another bridge less than a 100 yards from the Hannon one? And you still can’t take a left on either bridge from Burgin Parkway to go to Quincy Center….
Jay,
There is a rationale behind the Generals Bridge — honest.
The execution of the final plan into concrete, pavement, traffic flow, and traffic signalization, however, is open to question. Lots of questions.
For an addressing of both the plan and its likely myriad of problems, see https://quincyquarry.com/quincy-quarry/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2021/10/There-is-a-concept-behind-the-new-Generals-Bridge-1.pdf