Concourse Bid Awarded

QUINCY - Mayor Thomas Koch announced that the bid for the final construction phase of the Quincy Center Concourse has been awarded to a Brockton contractor, setting the stage for Spring ground-breaking of the vital parkway crossing Quincy Center.

J. Derenzo Co. submitted a low bid of just more than $5 million for the key section of the project that will cut a new road through Hancock Street in downtown where the Quincy Fair Mall currently stands and ultimately connect Burgin Parkway to Southern Artery.

The contractor is the same firm currently working on the McGrath Highway reconstruction portion of the combination state, federal, and local project.

The latest phase of the project will be funded through the federal stimulus program, prompting Mayor Koch to credit Congressman William Delahunt and the state's Beacon Hill delegation for a years-long lobbying effort to keep the project a priority.

"This parkway is absolutely vital to attracting the $1 billion in private investment in coming years that will make Quincy Center the economic engine for our entire region," Koch said. "It's been talked about for 30 years, but we're getting it done today thanks to the persistence and teamwork of the City's team, Congressman Delahunt, Senator Mike Morrissey and our entire state delegation."

Added Delahunt:

"This is a great example of the jump start federal stimulus funds can have on the local economy," said Congressman Bill Delahunt. "Linking Burgin Parkway to McGrath Highway and Route 3A will connect downtown Quincy from a transportation perspective, and will result in added business growth and many new jobs for the City."

A separate bid on remaining demolition work -including the Quincy Fair Mall - is expected to be awarded in coming weeks. An original $6 million federal earmark set aside for the road construction was trumped by the stimulus money, but is still available for the City and can used for other downtown-related transportation projection.

Construction on the project's final phase will begin as a $4.3 million phase rebuilding McGrath Highway is finishing up this year. That part of the project, between Washington Street and Southern Artery (Route 3A) includes wider sidewalks, new traffic signals, bike lanes, new trees and plantings, and a median strip.

The most complex part of that phase, re-locating utilities underground, took place last year and residents should begin to see the progress on the street level this year.

"This road is central to the revitalization of Quincy Center, and we are going to continue to work at the state level to ensure that Quincy remains a priority and that this historic redevelopment of Quincy Center becomes a reality," said Morrissey.

The goal of the full project, which also includes the existing Paul Harold Bridge connecting downtown's parking areas to Burgin Parkway, is two-fold: To end the downtown traffic bottleneck by creating easier access to and from the Southeast Expressway and create a new environment downtown to attract private investment.

Construction of the road comes as the City continues to negotiate with master developer, Street-Works, LLC on a full redevelopment plan for Quincy Center.