Big changes are underway in Fall River, Massachusetts, a city of nearly 95,000 residents located on the Massachusetts-Rhode Island border. Situated along Mt. Hope Bay, the city is the focus of a significant infrastructure initiative to improve the Route 79-Davol Street corridor. The project is led by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the joint venture of D.W. White and SPS.
Parts of Davol Street and Route 79 run along the Taunton Riverfront in Fall River. The city and others felt the area could be better utilized. In 2014, MassDOT completed a Route 79-Davol Street corridor planning study.
The study aimed to increase safety, mobility, and connectivity to the Taunton Riverfront. The recommendation was to install an urban boulevard that combines Route 79 with northbound and southbound Davol Street.
"Route 79 between the Veterans Memorial Bridge and Central Street is a divided limited access highway," according to the MassDOT website. The site adds that the four-lane Route 79 has an average daily traffic of "between 20,000 and 30,000 vehicles per day and has excess capacity."
"The current formation is an urbanized viaduct, and it separates the water from the city," said MassDOT State Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver, who oversees the department. Gulliver noted that the removal of urbanized viaducts (bringing it down to grade) is a nationwide trend.
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"When we conceived the project, the goal was to rethink the way area works, traffic connectivity, how to make this more a multi-modal area," Gulliver said. Currently, the corridor lacks bicycle accommodation.
Gulliver's department regularly looks at property owned by MassDOT and how it intersects with the area.
"Our goal is to ensure the property is used optimally,” he said. “We keep in mind that the best use is not always serving infrastructure." In the case of Fall River, the project will provide opportunities that will impact the entire city.
When one typically thinks of connectivity as it relates to an infrastructure project, the thought revolves around reducing drive times and moving traffic more quickly and reliably.
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In the case of the Route 79-Davol Street corridor improvements project, improving connectivity refers to connecting the waterfront back to the city, providing bicyclists accommodations, and giving pedestrians access to the river.
The MassDOT website outlines the work taking place and what will result because of it. The project will:
- Replace Route 79 and Davol Street with an urban boulevard
- Create 19 acres of new developable parcels and 9 acres of open space
- Reduce the number of travel lanes from four to two lanes in each direction
- Establish four cross street connections between neighborhoods and waterfront
- Provide 2 miles of sidewalks and over 2 miles of shared-use paths
- Add coordinated traffic signals along Route 79
- Introduce landscaping elements throughout the corridor
- Replace bridge carrying northbound Route 79 at the southern project end
- Improve stormwater and sewage systems
Another major benefit of the project is economic development.
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"The new street network will include multi-modal access to the waterfront, which will provide many benefits, including economic," Gulliver said.
MassDOT believes removing the urbanized viaduct will create approximately 25 acres of developable land. The land will be on or near the waterfront, which makes it valuable. MassDOT’s website said that the project "will create developable parcels of land to promote economic growth in the city.”
The type of development that will take place on the newly opened riverfront property has yet to be determined.
The challenges of the project are similar to those of others that have taken place in densely populated areas.
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"The [1-mile] project area, like the state, is very congested," Gulliver said. Despite this, MassDOT has insisted on maintaining live traffic.
"Our goal at MassDOT is to maintain connectivity by all means necessary," Gulliver said. The design team needed to carefully think through the sequencing and approach to reach that goal.
"As we went through the design phase, we knew it would be challenging," he added.
Busy, active areas tend to come with lots of utilities, and this area is no different. There are many utilities in the area that MassDOT is careful to maintain throughout the construction.
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"The utility work is challenging and is a frequent tripping point on projects like this, as you have to [work] with third parties," Gulliver said. "To mitigate utility impacts, the team did a substantial amount of advanced work."
Besides simply locating the utilities, utility work requires great communication and coordination.
Construction began in winter 2023 and is scheduled for completion in October 2026.
At the time of writing this article, the project is 66 percent complete and slightly ahead of schedule. Gulliver said he is pleased but noted that potential obstacles could arise. These include utility relocation, as stated above. Another big concern is tariffs.
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"We're concerned and are keeping an eye on how tariffs could impact material availability," Gulliver said. "We're also concerned about the possibility that tariffs could upend supply lines. ... Most commodities that we use, including steel, are made in America. However, the market for American steel and other commodities made in the United States could soar."
Not only would this have an impact on supply lines, but construction costs could also rise. Gulliver and his team keep their eye on the market and try to discern the unknowns.
Both partners in the joint venture of D.W. White Construction, Inc. (lead contractor) and SPS work with MassDOT regularly.
"They both have individually taken on some of our most challenging and mega jobs. ... I attribute [their project success] to a strong presence by ownership, as they get involved if an issue arises," Gulliver said. "I could hear from the owner if there's a job issue, and I believe this helps us complete even the most sensitive projects."
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This project is the first time the two contractors have teamed up. Since it involves a large program, having D.W. White and SPS involved has been a positive for the design-build project.
The project took several years to develop, which was longer than MassDOT anticipated. "We felt the best way to keep the project after the long design phase would be to go design-build," Gulliver said.
MassDOT regularly delivers projects via the design-build method. Gulliver estimates MassDOT uses it on 50 percent of the program. The contractor’s fast-track approach involves constructing and designing at the same time.
The contract with the joint venture was for $115 million. Currently, the project is on budget. The federal and state governments are funding the project via the traditional 80/20 split.
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As the team moves forward on the Route 79-Davol Street corridor improvements, the project has been recognized by ITE Southeastern New England as Project of the Year.
When the project is complete, pedestrians and bicyclists will have easier access to the river. In addition, the huge amount of space the project is opening up on the waterfront will result in substantial economic benefits.
