High Street in Bridgewater to Close Monday for Start of Dam Removal and Bridge Replacement Project

BRIDGEWATER — Town Manager Michael Dutton and Department of Public Works Director Azu Etoniru wish to inform residents and motorists that High Street will close Monday, June 26 for the Town River Restoration project.

High Street and the bridge were originally expected to close on June 15. The delay of the closure was caused by a delay in receiving a permit to waive the time of year restriction. Seasonal or time of year restrictions are placed on in-water construction work to protect marine resources in Massachusetts.

High Street and the bridge will close to traffic on Monday. They are currently projected to re-open in mid-October.

As part of the project, the High Street Dam and High Street Bridge crossing the Town River, near 151 High St., will be removed and the bridge will be rebuilt to modern standards. The project will be completed over an approximately four-month period.

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.

Click here to view the detour map.

Project History

The Town River Restoration project proposes to remove the High Street (Jenkins) Dam, replace the undersized and aging High Street road-stream crossing over Town River, and protect and enhance surrounding infrastructure and public utilities. 

The removal of the High Street Dam and replacement of the High Street Bridge is part of an ongoing collaborative effort to improve coastal ecosystem resilience in the region by connecting the major tributaries of the Taunton River with the main stem, Mount Hope Bay, Narragansett Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean. The project will reconnect 10 miles of unimpeded river access for multiple species of fish and open 354 acres of river herring spawning and rearing habitat at Lake Nippenicket. Overall, the project aims to restore and strengthen natural ecosystems for the benefit of the coastal community and the environment.

The High Street Dam was constructed circa 1919. It has numerous structural deficiencies and has outlived its intended use. It also obstructs fish passage and natural river processes and jeopardizes the upstream High Street road-stream crossing, were it to fail.

The project will replace the High Street road-stream crossing with a 55-foot clear-span bridge. The proposed design spans the full width of Town River and can pass the 500-year recurrence interval storm including climate change projections through 2070. 

The Town River Restoration Project will result in measurable improvements to both community and habitat resilience in the Taunton River watershed. Specifically, the project intends to: restore aquatic connectivity to a critical segment of Town River, engage seven governmental and six non-governmental agencies in resiliency activities, and protect people and property from increasingly severe flooding resulting from climate change.

Flooding is identified as the most frequent hazard affecting the town in a Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan, and road-stream crossing replacement and dam removal are prioritized actions to improve climate resiliency in the Massachusetts State Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Change Plan. As a direct result of this project, 37 commercial and residential properties that border the High Street Dam’s impoundment are expected to experience a reduction in flooding during severe storms. 

The project is being completed by the Town of Bridgewater, in partnership with the Town of West Bridgewater, state Division of Ecological Restoration, state Division of Marine Fisheries, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA Restoration Center, Old Colony Planning Council, Town River Fishery Committee, The Nature Conservancy, Narragansett Bay Estuary Program, Save the Bay, Taunton River Watershed Alliance, and Advance Pollution Control Corporation (dam owner). 

Since 2017 the town has worked with the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration and numerous state and federal partners to plan and fund the dam removal and bridge replacement project. This effort has raised over $8 million to completely offset the cost of the project to local taxpayers.

Additional information about the project can be found on the Town Manager’s page. 

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