Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch said Tuesday he remains opposed to rebuilding a bridge to connect Boston to its recovery and treatment facility on Long Island and expects to sit down to discuss the issue with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu for the first time since her election later this month.
"I don’t view a $200-million bridge as a solution to a problem, and there's probably millions more needed of work on the Island itself," Koch said Tuesday. "I have not had a conversation with Mayor Wu since she's been elected. I anticipate having one in the coming weeks about a number of issues and that being one of them and then, from there, we'll see how the discussion goes."
Koch's comments came as mayors from around the state gathered at Boston City Hall alongside attorney general and gubernatorial candidate Maura Healey to celebrate the finalization of $525 million coming to Massachusetts from a settlement with opioid distributors.
Boston and Quincy have been mired in a legal battle over the rebuilding of the Long Island Bridge since 2018, when the Quincy Conservation Commission denied Boston's application to rebuild the bridge after it was closed in 2014 by then-mayor Marty Walsh.
Asked whether the opioid distributor settlement funding could be used for Quincy and Boston to work out their years-long court conflict over access to Long Island, Koch endorsed ferries as an option for connecting Boston to its property.
"I've had conversations with Governor [Charlie] Baker," Koch said. "I think there's room for regional facilities. I don't know that they have to be on an island.
"If Long Island was determined as the place to use, it'd certainly be more efficient, far more cost effective to do it by ferry," the Quincy mayor claimed.
Wu's press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Wu has already taken up the legal battle to ensure Boston has the option of rebuilding the bridge.
