Rourke Bridge in tender condition

IT’S A GAME. The request for quotation on the new Rourke Bridge is open until December 19 at 2 p.m

“This is a big step towards further work on this project,” Senator Ed Kennedy said by phone on Friday, referring to the bidding process.

It’s a project Kennedy has been working on since he was elected to the Middlesex District 1 seat in 2019. One of the first things he did was add $100 million for the bridge to the transportation bond bill. The bond is not an appropriation, but gives the governor the authority to borrow money for the project.

“I initially asked for $70 million because that was the estimated cost of the bridge,” Kennedy said. “But before the legislation passed, I had to call Ways and Means and say, ‘Can you increase this to $100 million?’ because the estimated cost of the bridge has increased so much in just a few months.”

The estimated cost of the bridge is currently almost $200 million due to the Covid-19 pandemic and unforeseen supply chain expansions.

In 2022, the state received $9.5 billion from a bipartisan infrastructure bill. Some of the $1.1 billion in bridge funding will be used to replace the Rourke Bridge to fill the funding gap.

Already 11 potential design contractors have submitted bids for the project, which will be reviewed by the state Department of Transportation.

The project includes a realignment of the Wood Street extension, and the proposed bridge will be constructed west of the existing location, over the Merrimack River. The road will be widened to accommodate two lanes, a sidewalk and a bike lane in each direction. The project takes into account all road users, from cars to cyclists and pedestrians.

But wait! “It’s more than that,” Kennedy said.

“It will come with lighting,” he said. “And it should be completed in 2028.”

This timeline puts a bridge at the end of other exciting large-scale projects underway in Lowell.

The Lowell High School Redevelopment and Renovation Project is scheduled to be completed by 2026.

And next year Lowell Innovation Network Corridor is expected to begin work on Phases 1 and 2 of the three-phase project, which will take two years to complete, allowing it to be added to Lowell’s riverfront skyline by 2027.

The $800 million development plan leverages the prestige and innovation of UMass Lowell and the resources and history of the city of Lowell, along with the industry’s job creation capabilities, to envision a vibrant urban village/Main Street model and the city’s economic engine.

“LINC will probably have the greatest impact on the city since Wang first arrived,” Kennedy said.

Wang Laboratories founder An Wang built the Cross Point Towers starting in the 1980s at a cost of $60 million (nearly $250 million by current estimates), and the buildings were once the crown jewel of his computer empire. After the implosion of Wang Labs, the property passed into the hands of several owners and tenants. Kronos, now known as UKG, moved its headquarters to a campus located near the Lowell Connector in 2018.

The new Rourke Bridge is scheduled to open around 2028.

“When this is over, it will be spectacular,” Kennedy said.

He’s talking specifically about the bridge, but Kennedy could just as easily have been talking about any of these revolutionary projects.

Mic drop: Nutter leaves WCAP

AFTER OVER two years of waking up at 4 a.m., Gerry Nutter announced Friday is his last day hosting WCAP 980 AM’s morning show. Starting November 4, Nutter will work for Kevin Coughlin at the MassHire Career Center.

“I will be working with companies to see what type of internship or part-time opportunities are available to them,” Nutter said by text message after a farewell party at the Market Street station. “Then (I will) work with the school system and youth groups to find young people for these positions.”

It’s the perfect transition for Nutter: In addition to his 14-year career in broadcasting, he previously served on the Lowell School Committee from 2018-2019.

Instead of talking to Lowellians six days a week, interviewing guests from the Greater Lowell region, covering a range of municipal issues, education and business, arts and entertainment, and the latest political and social news, he will use his communication and networking skills to match student interns to companies.

Giving people opportunities is something Nutter is good at. He started his career as a local radio reporter who is grateful for a year of on-air “Big Fun Friday” chats, lots of laughs, cheesy karaoke, great music from Cindy Annis in the sound booth and sealed friendships Brew’d Awakening coffee spiked with notes of Baileys Irish Cream.

Local boxing historianand former Golden Gloves champion Keith Rudy regularly came to the studio to talk about boxing – and his other passion, horse racing – with Nutter and his listeners. He said Nutter’s broad interest in the city and its people and his informed questions for local leaders made him a faithful listener.

“Gerry is 100% Lowwell supporter,” Rudy wrote in a text message Friday. “He truly cares about his community and has used his platform to hold local politicians accountable for their actions.”

On-air chemistry was the reason retired state trooper Leslie Bodor, who was a longtime five-day-a-week volunteer co-host with former Morning Show host Teddy Panos, stayed on the Friday show when Nutter took over. Listeners know her for her law enforcement stories and infectious laugh.

“Teddy Panos, Gerry and I have this chemistry,” she texted Saturday morning. “It’s hard to find.”

Others are equally sad to see Nutter leave local radio, such as “Real Estate Ray” Boutin, who dropped by the studio every Thursday to discuss deals and give listeners real estate tips. Realtor RE/MAX also provided hearty breakfasts from Cote’s Market on Salem Street in the Acre neighborhood.

“Of course I’m sad to see Gerry go, but at the same time I’m happy for him,” Boutin wrote in a text message Saturday morning. “Gerry did an amazing job after that Teddy left. He brought in new guests from Lowell and surrounding communities. I loved listening to him interview guests. He will be missed.”

Nutter picked up the former morning host Panos interruptedwhen he left the station after more than 15 years to start his multimedia venture InsideLowella website that combines digital news content with videos, podcasts, blogs, event promotions and social media posts.

Panos said Nutter has an “open invitation” to continue to participate in the local conversation at the InsideLowell studios on Merrimack Street.

“Gerry did an incredible job of keeping the Morning Show entertaining and relevant, and he often succeeded difficult circumstances,” Panos said in a text message Saturday morning. “I will miss listening to him as I start my day and I wish him all the best in his next chapter.”

For now, Nutter plans to sleep through the week as he prepares for his latest MassHire gig.

“I’ve had a lot of fun doing The Morning Show for over two years and I’m not going to give it up completely,” he said. “I’m staying on Saturday Morning Live with Warren Shaw.”

Interview time for Billerica

FOR the first time in a long time, Billerica will participate in a series of city manager interviews on Monday night and choose a successor to former city manager John Curran, who was just appointed earlier this month decided to take the top position at Tewksbury.

Curran, like his outgoing Tewksbury predecessor Richard Montuori, served in the role for 14 years, virtually an eternity in government terms. Now, the Billerica selection board will select from three candidates, each with varying levels of experience at the highest levels of city government.

The first conversation will take place on Monday at 6 p.m. and will feature former Salem, New Hampshire, city manager Christopher Dillon, who retired last February after nearly seven years of service and previously served as city manager for a decade for recreation .

The next talk at 7 p.m. will be by Randy Robertson, a lesser-known face in the area. According to Robertson’s LinkedIn page, he has the most, literally, most comprehensive experience in municipal management. When I say broad, I mean geographical, as Robertson previously served as city manager in Delaware, Maryland, Alaska, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky, chief of staff at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, and chief of staff of the U.S. Army’s 2nd Signal Brigade in Mannheim in Germany from 2001 to 2005.

Of course, the least surprising name on the finalist list is Billerica interim city manager Clancy Main, whose primary role before Curran’s departure was as deputy city manager. Main’s name was constantly mentioned in connection with this role, and the Select Committee even took the step of recognizing his previous experience in city government as meeting the requirements for a candidate for city manager. Prior to his three years as deputy city manager, Main served as director of administrative services for two years, management analyst for over a year, and previously as executive assistant to Littletown’s city administrator.

There is an item on the Select Committee agenda to vote on this issue, so Billerica may have another city manager sooner or later. Whether or not they wait to consider it, their decision will still depend on subsequent contract negotiations with the selected candidate.

This week’s story was contributed by reporters Melanie Gilbert in Lowell and Peter Currier in Billerica.