Bennett Street bridge jangles nerves

LYNN – He calls it “The Can Opener” and West Lynn Auto Service owner Harry Janice said it is a miracle no one has been killed in a collision with the rusty iron bridge spanning Bennett Street at South Street.Janice and other Bennett Street business owners said the disused railroad bridge with a narrow traffic lane running in both directions beneath it has sheared the tops off tractor trailer trucks, sent front-end loaders tumbling down the street and dismantled boats mounted on trucks passing beneath the span.”We’re lucky no one’s got killed yet,” Janice said.Janice wants Bennett Street business owners, area residents and public officials responsible for inspecting and maintaining the bridge to meet and talk about safety concerns, including potential hazards related to a natural gas line sitting on top of the bridge.”It’s scary – someone’s going to hit that main some day,” said Janice’s sister-in-law, Sue, an employee with Bennett Street Tire and Glass.State Transportation Department spokesperson Michael Verseckes said the department “has not received any formal request from the city of Lynn to remove the bridge.””Any future reconstruction or removal of the bridge would require the relocation of utilities as part of any project,” Verseckes stated in an electronic mail.National Grid spokesman David Graves confirmed the pipe running across the bridge is “an active gas transmission line” that would take at least a year of planning to remove.”It’s a very vital main – a primary source of natural gas to the community – you can’t just shut it off,” he said.Ward 6 City Councilor Peter Capano said he has asked city officials to examine bridge safety concerns and report back with their evaluations. Capano said he’s no stranger to accidents under the Bennett Street bridge.”It’s quite a common occurrence,” he said.A truck carrying two forklifts hit the bridge’s underside last November and dumped its load. West Lynn Auto mechanic Eric Johnson remembers when five accidents occurred at the bridge in as many months.”When a truck hits that bridge, you jump out of your skin. Something needs to be done,” said Sue Janice.Graves said replacing the pipe involves reviewing other routes for relocating the main, obtaining required permits, including environmental reviews, and putting a removal project out to bid. He said the pipe is made from a special material requiring a six- to nine-month order period.Graves said the pipe’s replacement cost “would run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.”West Lynn Auto worker Dwayne Gousby said a first step to making the bridge safer is to map out a “dedicated truck route” steering heavy vehicles around it.Harry Janice said the successful effort to remove waterfront high-tension power lines can be applied to removing or making the Bennett Street bridge safe.