The Massachusetts Department of Transportation shared the plans for replacing Mill Pond Dam at a public information meeting Wednesday, Nov. 13.

The dam located near the Elks Lodge underneath Cranberry Highway, will be replaced as well as the spillway, fish ladder and the bridge above, on which, the sidewalks will be improved and a bike lane added.

As part of the next stage of the planning process, MassDOT will incorporate comments shared by the public at Wednesday’s public meeting into the current proposal. A final version of the plan is expected to be released in winter 2025 and construction is expected to begin in summer 2025 with an estimated 3 to 4 years to completion.

During construction traffic will be impacted but two lanes and a sidewalk will remain open during most of the work period.

The new construction will feature an arched spillway upstream and a stone-veneered pool and weir style fish ladder downstream, which will allow fish to travel around the dam through a series of stepped pools separated by low dams.

Once finished, the new bridge will have ADA compliant sidewalks and a five-foot-wide buffered bike lane.

The water level on both sides of the dam will be maintained during construction with a cofferdam, an area of the water blocked off and then pumped dry.

The project is estimated to cost $40 million and will be paid for by the state.