LYNN — The MWRA is moving along with the Saugus River Crossing Project, which will improve water distribution services in portions of Lynn, as well as Lynnfield, Marblehead, Nahant, Peabody, Revere, Saugus, and Swampscott.
These areas are in what’s called the Northern High Service Zone.
The project requires replacing a portion of the Section 56 water main, which had been removed in 2018 due to corrosion. Prior to that, it was previously attached to the General Edwards Bridge over the Saugus River and provided “critical water redundancy” within the areas to ensure a continuous, reliable water supply.
According to the MWRA, now that the Section 56 water main is no longer operating, these areas are “vulnerable” to disruptions if the primary pipe supplying water to these areas were to fail.
The Lynn City Council recently passed a motion for a licensing agreement with the MWRA that would grant them temporary access to land located at Riley Way and Riley Way Extension so that they can continue the project. That includes installing a 20-inch water main in Hanson Street. Under the agreement, the MWRA will pay the City of Lynn $45,000 a month.
“At this time, I’m in full support of this agreement with the Mayor,” said Ward 6 Councilor Fred Hogan at the Lynn City Council meeting last week. “This is in Ward 6, at the end of Hanson Street. This project has been going on for a little while.”
The access now allows contractors to have “continued access to the laydown and construction areas to continue working,” said a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). Within the entirety of the project, a total of approximately 4,800 feet of water pipeline will be installed using an open-cut method for work on land, and a trenchless underwater pipeline construction method called horizontal directional drilling (HDD) to cross the Saugus River.
“This is a complicated job, and the Authority is grateful for the collaborative efforts of Lynn and Revere to help complete this work,” the spokesperson added.
