Healey-Driscoll Administration, Local Leaders Celebrate Completion of Braga Bridge Permanent Safety Lighting

Healey-Driscoll Administration, Local Leaders Celebrate Completion of Braga Bridge Permanent Safety Lighting 

Upgrades enhance safety and modernize the Bridge’s electrical system while illuminating one of the South Coast’s most recognizable landmarks 

FALL RIVER — The Healey-Driscoll Administration, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), and the City of Fall River celebrated the completion of a major modernization project that upgraded the Braga Bridge’s aging and electrical lighting systems while adding permanent architectural lighting to one of the South Coast’s most recognizable landmarks.  

 

For 60 years, the Braga Bridge has connected communities across the South Coast while serving as one of Fall River’s defining landmarks. The project modernized the electrical and lighting infrastructure by replacing aging systems that had reached the end of their useful life, enhancing the safety and reliability of the bridge’s operations while creating a new nighttime landmark for residents and visitors to enjoy. The aesthetic lighting system is up to safety standards with lights that are required for the approaching vessels and aircraft.  

 

“The Braga Bridge is an iconic part of the Fall River skyline and a critical transportation connection for the South Coast,” said Governor Maura Healey. “This project makes travel safer for residents, workers and visitors alike by modernizing the bridge’s lighting systems and creates a lasting landmark that will continue to be part of Fall River’s history. Our administration is committed to investing in infrastructure and transportation upgrades that strengthen our local communities.”  

 

“As a former mayor, I know how much an iconic landmark can mean to a community, and that’s certainly true of the Braga Bridge,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “For generations, this bridge has been part of Fall River’s identity. These improvements preserve an important piece of the city’s history while giving residents and visitors something they’ll enjoy safely for years to come.” 

“The Braga Bridge has long been a symbol of Fall River, a point of pride for the South Coast, and a critical connection for people and commerce,” said Interim Secretary of Transportation and MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng. “The Healey-Driscoll Administration continues to invest in the communities we serve, and this new lighting system on the Braga Bridge demonstrates MassDOT’s commitment to deliver meaningful improvements that modernize our transportation infrastructure, drive economic vitality, and build community pride. The Braga Bridge is an iconic landmark, and will now shine brightly with new lighting highlighting Fall River and its skyline for residents and visitors to enjoy for generations to come.”   

“The Braga Bridge is one of the most important transportation connections in southeastern Massachusetts, and one of the Commonwealth’s most distinctive bridges,” said MassDOT Undersecretary and Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. “The lighting project reflects the history and significance of the bridge to Fall River and to the entire South Coast. MassDOT is proud to help preserve, maintain, and celebrate a critical piece of infrastructure that is both essential to daily travel and deeply meaningful to the communities it serves.” 

Opened in 1966, the Braga Bridge carries approximately 90,000 vehicles each day, strengthening connections across the South Coast and between Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Prior to the construction, the electrical wiring was over 35 years old, and the navigational lighting was also past its prime making it unsafe. The project modernized the bridge’s electrical and lighting systems through a series of infrastructure improvements, including: 

 

• Replacing aging electrical wiring and lighting systems. 
• Installing new decorative architectural lighting. 
• Reconstructing light-pole anchorages and barriers. 
• Replacing navigation, highway and aviation lighting. 
• Building a new maintenance access platform to safely support future lighting operations. 

These upgrades and improvements included decorative lighting, which was requested by the City and local government officials. The new decorative lighting will enhance the nighttime appearance of the bridge and further establish it as a civic landmark for residents, businesses, and visitors.