Closure of the bridge has forced residents and all motorists to detour to Notre Dame Street to access neighborhoods.
WESTFIELD - The state Department of Transportation is seeking bids for the rebuilding of Pochassic Street Bridge, closed in January, 2010, because of structural deterioration.
DOT will advertise the $5.2 million project Saturday. Bids must be submitted by Dec. 6. The federal government will finance 80 percent of the project with DOT picking up the balance.
Advancement of the project was announced Friday by state Sen. Michael R. Knapik, R-Westfield; state Rep. Donald F. Humason Jr., R-Westfield and Mayor Daniel M. Knapik. Construction is expected to begin next spring.
The closing of the bridge has forced residents and other motorists to detour to Notre Dame Street to reach destinations on what is called "Drugstore Hill" and the Montgomery Road neighborhoods. Knapik and Humason called the bridge one of the most "important" in the region.
"This bridge closure happened my first Friday on the job,” Mayor Knapik said. "Repairs are important for public safety and for economic reasons," he said.