Rockland Street Bridge Closed Permanently to Make Way for Reconstruction
Rockland Street Bridge closed permanently on Friday. How will it affect your commute?
The Wellesley Police Department sent a reminder to the public Thursday announcing that the Rockland Street Bridge will permanently close.
Wellesley Patch has covered this bridge closing on many occasions, primarily because we feel it will create a huge traffic impact to an already traffic-heavy town. Town officials agree.
But is it possible this the blockage of this link from Washington Street to Linden Street will not have as negative an impact as originally thought? The bridge is ailing and in desperate need of rebuilding, and the Police Department said in today’s alert: “Traffic lights in the area will be changed to reflect the new traffic pattern and will be monitored by the Wellesley Police Department.”
What’s your opinion? How will the bridge closing impact Wellesley’s traffic?
Timmy
10:25 am on Sunday, January 29, 2012
The poor bridge was old and it has been very loyal over decades.
It's time to spiff it up. Traffic could be handled effectively with light changes,
I would imagine. It's a positive step to ensure everyone's safety.
karen
10:59 am on Sunday, January 29, 2012
it just lengthens the area of town I no longer drive/shop in due to poor traffic and lack of parking. Traffic in Wellesley is beyond congested. I spend 90% of my money in Natick, Needham, or Newton .
Jen Looper
3:04 pm on Sunday, January 29, 2012
It has already impacted us on Route 9 dramatically, as the construction company blocked off our access (for which we have a longstanding accord with the Christian Science Church) to Linden Street via the CSC parking lot and our back yard. So now the kids have to walk on the Route 9 sidewalk to get to school. Nobody consulted with the neighbors before wiring our fence shut and putting up yards of blue plastic fencing ostensibly to protect construction equipment stored ar the CSC. Fail, construction company, MLP, and CSC! Hope this is over soon.
Matthew
7:14 pm on Sunday, January 29, 2012
I just hope the new Linden-Rockland intersection clarifies who has right of way. To go over the bridge is it a right turn off Linden onto Rockland? If so, is it a left turn after going over the bridge onto Linden? Implies cars going over the bridge have to yield to traffic coming down Rockland (and potentially get blocked by a line of traffic). Oh, and please make it clearer than day that there is a pedestrian crossing for which all cars must stop. (Few do)