Committee reviews $51,200 match request for MassTrails bridge design on Route 140

The Finance Committee reviewed an order to appropriate $51,200 from free cash as Gardner City's match to a $204,800 MassTrails grant to complete engineering and design for a pedestrian bridge over Route 140, part of the North Central Pathway.

"This is the match needed to complete the engineering and design work for the bridge that will eventually be constructed over Route 140," the mayor (S3) said, stressing that the appropriation would fund planning and design only and that the state typically covers construction costs under its traffic improvement program.

S3 said the project is roughly 75% through design and that finishing the last 25% should position the city for a full construction season in 2027, according to the state's published schedule. Committee members asked whether the item carried urgency; the mayor said it could be handled in March and did not require immediate action this week.

Committee discussion also noted that inclusion in the capital plan or packet supports grant eligibility, and members were reminded that a department's budget request does not guarantee final funding in the operating budget.

No final committee vote on the appropriation is recorded in the transcript for this meeting; the item remained on the Finance Committee calendar for follow-up.