Taunton says MassDOT review, extra engineering raise Old Colony Avenue bridge design to about $1.4M; council backs Raynham MOA

Taunton City officials told the Committee of the Whole on Jan. 14 that the Old Colony Avenue bridge replacement has escalated from a municipal-only $300,000 design to a MassDOT-led project with roughly $1.1 million–$1.4 million in design costs, and the council voted to support a memorandum of agreement with the town of Raynham to share expenses.

The update matters because the city’s $5 million federal community project funding grant requires MassDOT oversight for a bridge project, which triggers many additional deliverables, prolonged reviews and a longer design schedule, city consultants and staff said.

Chris Jones, project manager for Beta Group, Taunton’s design consultant on the bridge, told the council that when the federal grant placed the project under State Department of Transportation jurisdiction the scope of engineering tasks expanded “from about three engineering tasks to about 21,” requiring more reviewers and a roughly two-year design schedule. He said MassDOT review moves beyond structural adequacy to review nearly every aspect of the project as it progresses.

City finance staff told the council that the municipal share of the added design effort will appear in the upcoming Capital Improvement Program. Officials said Raynham has already voted to enter an MOA and committed approximately $650,000 toward the additional cost.

MassDOT schedule and cost constraints were flagged as specific risks and deadlines. Jones said the federal grant requires the project to be advertised for construction by Sept. 30, 2026; the city’s target is that construction would start in spring 2027 and occur in one primary construction season. A preliminary construction cost estimate discussed at the meeting ranged from about $4.5 million for construction to more than $5 million when construction administration and related costs are included; Jones and city staff said the estimate will firm up at the 25% design submission to MassDOT.

Councilors asked about traffic impacts, schedule risk and who would pay overruns. Jones and the city’s DPW commissioner said the plan anticipates a full road closure during construction with a detour routing traffic via Precinct/Church Street and Route 44. Officials also said the Commonwealth’s position is that the municipality would be responsible for cost overruns once the project is a MassDOT-managed grant. The city said it will continue to pursue supplemental funding with MassDOT and other partners if a gap remains after final estimates.

Following the presentation, a motion “to make this presentation part of the record and to support the administration’s MOA with the town of Raynham” was made, seconded and approved by voice vote.

The next formal steps listed to council were: finalizing the MOA language for inclusion in the CIP, completing a task order and notices so Beta can resume detailed design, and producing a 25% design package so MassDOT can schedule required design public hearings and provide the firmer cost estimate that will guide construction funding.

What’s next: the city said the CIP will show the line items for the design contract amendment at the council’s Jan. 21 meeting and staff will return with a 25% schedule target and public hearing dates once MassDOT has reviewed the submittal.