Infrastructure and remediation projects advance in Massachusetts

Major infrastructure and environmental projects are underway in Fall River and New Bedford to facilitate economic development and waterfront access.

In Fall River, Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll announced the completion of the $115 million Route 79-Davol Street Corridor improvements. The project replaced a mile-long elevated highway with an urban boulevard, reconnecting neighborhoods to the Taunton River waterfront. The development opens approximately 20 acres of land for housing and economic growth near the MBTA Fall River Depot commuter rail station.

In New Bedford, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled a $9.25 million plan to remediate PCB soil contamination at 103 Sawyer Street. The project involves removing contaminated soil up to three feet deep to prepare the city-owned property for mixed-use development. This effort is part of the ongoing cleanup of the New Bedford-Fairhaven Harbor, which is the largest marine Superfund site in the United States.