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Committees keep Hudson Street Bridge investigatory article on warrant after reconsideration fails
Summary
The Financial Planning and Appropriations committees reviewed the Hudson Street Bridge project after MassDOT denied a $150,000 Small Bridges grant and rejected a motion to reconsider a prior favorable vote; the investigatory/design-phase article remains on the warrant as previously approved.
The Financial Planning Committee and the Appropriations Committee met jointly on April 1, 2026, to review the Hudson Street Bridge project after town staff notified them that MassDOT did not award a $150,000 Small Bridges Program grant that had been expected to offset part of the design-phase article.
Chair John Rapa opened the discussion, noting the committees had previously voted on the project on Feb. 19 and did not include it in revotes on March 5. Committee members summarized a May 14, 2024 MassDOT inspection report that identified structural deficiencies and said an investigatory/design phase — budgeted at $178,300 — was intended to produce a preferred design and make the project more competitive for subsequent grant funding. Staff told the committees the denied $150,000 grant was for a later design phase and that the town could choose to locally fund the investigatory phase so it could later reapply for larger construction grants.
One member who had dissented on Feb. 19 said the denied grant and comments from the DPW director that the work could be pushed off a year constituted a material change warranting reconsideration of the committee’s prior favorable vote. That motion to reconsider was moved and seconded and put to a roll-call vote. The roll call recorded Ryan Mains and Mike Shaka voting yes, and Susan Satori, Ken Peard and Chair John Rapa voting no; the motion failed and the article remains on the warrant as previously approved.
Committee members noted the project’s public-safety and traffic implications — a MassDOT report figure cited that roughly 4,500 vehicles travel Hudson Street daily — and said proceeding with locally funded investigatory work would keep the town in control of the process and make future grants more likely. The committees did not change the dollar amount of the investigatory article during the session.
The committee moved on to other warrant items; the Hudson Street Bridge article will appear on the warrant unchanged and town staff said they will continue to consult on grant opportunities and the project’s phases.
