Joint Committee Unanimously Advances MassDOT Easement Bill for Andover Bridge

Hearings-Joint · Meeting of July 30, 2026

BOSTON — Massachusetts joint committee fast-tracks MassDOT easement bill for Andover bridge replacement. The Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight voted unanimously Wednesday to expedite and favorably report S.3230, suspending its joint rules to clear the measure in a single abbreviated hearing. The bill, sponsored by Senator Feinberg and supported by a letter from State Senator Stanley Barry of the Middlesex District, would authorize MassDOT to acquire easements on Article 97-protected town land needed for a full replacement of a deteriorating 1980s-era CSX bridge on Tewksbury Street in Andover, where concrete beam degradation had threatened to restrict the structure to one-way traffic.

Feinberg told the committee the project is connected to a 300-unit housing development in the Essex Street area and said the land taking is essential: "We do need some land taking, and that's what this bill would do." The bill now goes to the full Senate.

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Source: the Hearings-Joint meeting of July 30, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.