LYNN — The new Belden G. Bly Bridge partially opened on Thursday morning.
The Bly Bridge, which connects Lynn and Saugus at Western Avenue and Route 107, was closed in 2013 and replaced with a temporary bridge. Construction for the new bridge started in 2021. On Thursday, one lane of vehicular traffic in each direction and all pedestrian traffic was shifted from the temporary bridge to the new bridge, according to MassDOT.
Local residents and elected officials who drive through the area regularly gave their thoughts about the new development.
Ward 6 Councilor Fred Hogan reported that traffic was “flowing pretty well” on the bridge Thursday morning.
“It’s nice to just go straight instead of going around the temporary bridge. A lot of my constituent’s reactions are very happy that it’s finally open. It’s been a long process,” Hogan said.
Lynn resident and G.E. employee Jason Brown, who uses the bridge daily, said: “It’s been a long time coming. I’m happy to see that progress is finally being made. Hopefully the traffic flow will be better once it opens fully.”
Ward 7 Councilor-elect Jordan Avery also reacted to the progress.
“After such a long wait, I’m truly happy to see the new bridge finally opening. As someone who lives one street over from the bridge, I’ve seen firsthand how the closure has impacted residents in Ward 7 and anyone traveling through this area,” Avery said.
Avery added, “This reopening will make a real difference for our neighbors, local businesses, and daily commuters. I’m grateful to everyone who worked to get us to this point, and I look forward to seeing the full completion of the project.”
Meanwhile, current Ward 7 Councilor and Council President Jay Walsh expressed skepticism over the partial bridge opening.
“I wouldn’t get too excited. There’s still a ton of work to be done over there, and there’s going to be delays. It would be great to celebrate, but it’s taken so long and caused so much aggravation; it kind of diminished that we got a new bridge,” Walsh said.
Sen. Brendan Crighton addressed concerns over the timeline of the ongoing project.
“We share the frustration of residents, businesses, and commuters in the area. For well over a decade, we’ve had disruptions with construction of the temporary bridge, and construction of the new bridge, more recently road closures,” Crighton said.
He added, “We are doing our best to work with MassDOT and state officials as we move forward. Having the bridge open up is obviously a step forward in the right direction, but we continue to monitor the project to make sure it is fully open as soon as possible.”
