Ward 5 Councilman Ed Ladouceur called a press conference for 7:30 a.m. Thursday in the middle of Tidewater Drive.

As an email notice went out less than 16 hours before to members of the Riverview Association, he imagined only a few residents, on such short notice, would be able to show up. What’s more, he didn’t expect to find anyone working on the Mill Cove Bridge, which has been closed since last fall.

He was surprised on both counts. About 15 area residents turned out, and to his amazement seven or eight Cardi Construction workers, plus a steam shovel, were already at work on the bridge.

It was a different scene from what he encountered Wednesday afternoon.

By contract, the bridge was to have been completed by the end of June. That schedule was understandably set back by the prolonged winter and the decision to install sewers for an 800-foot stretch of Tidewater, as well as to upgrade water and natural gas lines so that once that section of Tidewater was paved it wouldn’t need to be dug up for years to come.

The utility work has been completed, so now, it appeared, everything was waiting for the bridge. Ladouceur visits the site at least a couple of times a week, and for weeks he hasn’t seen much activity. What he found Wednesday was the last straw.

“The most I’ve seen is four people,” Ladouceur told the gathering. “You don’t build a bridge with four people…all I know is I want our bridge done.”

There were nods of agreement.

“Some days there’s nobody. It’s just every time you go out you have to go all the way around,” said Earl Tasca, a 15-year resident of Riverview.

In order to reach West Shore Road, residents need to take Longmeadow and Draper, which can add more than a mile to the trip. With the opening of Gorton Junior High School on Sept. 2, the early morning commute is expected to be delayed with school traffic.

Tasca suggested the city hold Cardi’s “feet to the fire” and impose a fine for every day of additional delay.

“My patience is gone,” Ladouceur said.

While no firm dates were discussed, it was thought the bridge and other work would have been completed by the end of July. Ladouceur was fearful the date would just be pushed further and further back. But by Friday, Ladouceur’s tune had changed.

In an email to the neighborhood association, he reported he had been told the bridge would be completed by Sept. 3 and that he is waiting to learn of a date when it will actually open.

Stephen Cardi, treasurer of the construction company, told the Beacon on Friday that the bridge could be opened for vehicular traffic on Sept. 2, but the entire project wouldn’t be completed until Sept. 18. He said the sidewalks and railings were the final items and that parapets could be used so the bridge could open sooner than the 18th.

Department of Public Works Director David Picozzi wasn’t certain of the timing of the opening.

“I hope they keep rolling along and stick to the schedule,” he said.

He thought additional compacting of the roadbed from West Shore Road to the south side of the bridge would occur naturally and with the initial layer to the road the bridge could be reopened.

According to City Treasurer David Olsen, Cardi has received a single payment for the bridge of $277,055.75, which was made on Aug. 7. The contract is for $1.2 million.

In his Friday email, Ladouceur writes, “I want to say thank you to everyone that came out and supported my efforts yesterday morning as well as all the people who have sent me emails and phone calls supporting me. Together we made a difference yesterday. I will do my best to make sure Cardi stays on track with completing this bridge.”