New Bedford Mayor Wants New Bridge Named for War Hero

NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — Mayor Jon Mitchell has filed a proposal to the New Bedford City Council to officially name the new pedestrian bridge over Route 18 in honor of U.S. Army Corporal Andre A. Lopes.

It would allow the City of New Bedford to continue to honor Lopes, for whom the current pedestrian bridge was dedicated in 1977, as the current bridge is set to be demolished when the new bridge opens in connection with the start of South Coast Rail service next month.

The new $21 million bridge, constructed with Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority funds as part of the South Coast Rail project, had already been set to be named for Lopes after passing through both the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate, and as of October 2024 was just awaiting Governor Maura Healey’s signature.

READ MORE: New Bedford's New Pedestrian Bridge Will Be Named for Korean War Hero

However, in a letter to the city council asking for them to approve the naming of the bridge, Mitchell pointed out it’s the City’s decision to name the bridge.

“As I understand it, there is an item before the state legislature that was submitted by our delegation to name the new bridge for Mr. Lopes,” Mitchell wrote. “However, as the new bridge will become a City-owned asset upon completion, therefore the Commonwealth would have no role in its naming.”

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It’s hard to imagine there would be any opposition to “effectively transfer the name to the new bridge,” as the City stated in a release, because of how revered Lopes was for his service in both World War II and the Korean War.

“After his Army service in WWII, Corporal Lopes reenlisted to fight in Korea, serving again with distinction,” Mitchell said. “Naming the new bridge in his honor will perpetuate Cpl. Lopes’ legacy of patriotism, service and courage.”

READ MORE: South Coast Rail Service to Begin March 24

Cpl. Andre Lopes’ Military Service

Lopes enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1944 at the age of 18. He returned to New Bedford in 1947 and worked in construction for a few years, before re-enlisting with the Army in the Korean War.

“Cpl. Lopes was responsible for overseeing and maintaining field wire communications when, in 1953, he suffered a serious injury in a missile attack that resulted in the loss of his leg,” the City said in a release. “He returned to New Bedford in 1954 following treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and he received the Purple Heart the same year.”

He passed away at St. Luke’s Hospital after a long illness on May 22, 1957, at just 31 years old.

The new Andre Lopes Memorial Bridge is 240 feet long and connects Purchase Street to the Whale’s Tooth parking lot, the site of one of two New Bedford commuter rail stations.

The Herald News reported Tuesday that MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng told the MBTA Board of Directors that once service begins on March 24, weekend rides and parking will both be free through the end of April.