It's all systems go for a bridge that Pittsfield residents say will be a major benefit to the city. YNN's Madeleine Rivera has more on the latest developments at the Woodlawn Avenue bridge.

  To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

PITTSFIELD, MA -- The Woodlawn Avenue bridge used to be one of the busiest parts of the city.

"As most people know, that section of Woodlawn Ave was owned by GE," said Corydon Thurston, executive director of the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority.

But, residents will soon see traffic on this road--which runs between Kellogg and East Streets and is now owned by the city's economic development office.

"We're at the stage of what we call the 25 percent design level. And, that's when we take those plans and bring them to the public like in this case here to show where we're at at this point in the design," William Brown, project manager from MassDOT.

There's a lot of support for the project which Thurston says will boost local business.

"The folks on Tyler Street, we've been interacting with on a regular basis, and they're very excited because people will be able to access their stores much more conveniently than before," said Thurston.

The bridge was demolished by CSX Transportation last summer. They've been working closely with the state on the bridge's design.

The old bridge used to connect the south and north sides of the city and was considered by many residents as a main artery. It has not been used in several years. The proposed bridge project is to actually raise the bridge so that double stack trains can pass underneath.

"We're excited that we've gotten probably within six months to this stage already. And, I'm very excited by the cooperation that we've received from MassDOT and the CSX railroad group," said Thurston.

Construction is expected to cost about $3.5 million. MassDOT will figure out funding after they finish the design in the spring.