The Chelsea Street Bridge under construction is rising swiftly, its appearance changing noticeably from one week to the next. The bulk of early construction and engineering work is taking place on the Chelsea riverbank, where primary structural supports are being connected and growing increasingly robust with each passing week. According to John Vitagliano, a former MassPort official now overseeing the bridge construction for the City of Boston, “It is exciting to be a witness to such a great engineering project,”. Vitagliano noted that removing the existing steel span along with its concrete counterweight represents a substantial undertaking, and explained that multiple contractors have already been engaged through signed contracts to dismantle the steel bridge and transport it away, along with the tons of cement that make up the bridge counterweight. The Record learned from Vitagliano that Prolerizer in Everett will handle the removal and transport of the steel that was used to construct the bridge in the 1940’s to its scrap metal facility. He further noted that the cement counterweight, which weighs approximately 100 tons, will be broken apart using pneumatic chippers, with the resulting material either trucked away or transported by barge. According to Vitagliano, this demolition process will demand considerable time and labor resources.
