Structure B160524FEDOTNBI · Suffolk County, MA

HWY Bowker Int over Comb I 90 & Mbta

Carries HWY Bowker Int over Comb I 90 & Mbta, .2 Mi S Of ST RTE 2a.

Overall conditionPoor

Set by its lowest-rated component: Deck and Superstructure and Substructure at 4 of 9.

How ratings work
Decksets the rating4/9 · Poor
Superstructuresets the rating4/9 · Poor
Substructuresets the rating4/9 · Poor
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT359 FT OVERALL50 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 4/9Superstructure 4/9Substructure 4/9

359 ft end to end, longest span 54 ft: about 5 semi-trucks nose to tail. Lengths and the semi-truck on the deck are drawn to the same scale. Each part is colored by its latest inspection rating. The inventory records lengths but not heights or the layout of the shorter spans, so those are drawn as typical for a multi-beam bridge.

Built196561 years old
Length358.9 ft109.4 m
Daily traffic55,075counted 2023
Last inspectedAugust 2024every 12 months

Location

StateMassachusetts
CountySuffolk
Location.2 Mi S Of ST RTE 2a
CarriesHWY Bowker Int
CrossesComb I 90 & Mbta
Coordinates42.34777, -71.09236

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length358.9 ft (109.4 m)
Max Span54.1 ft (16.5 m)
Deck Width45.3 ft (13.8 m)
Deck Area1509.7 sq m
Main Spans4
Year Built1965

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic55,075 (2023)
Truck Traffic1%
Lanes On Bridge4
Lanes Under Bridge8

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionAugust 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 12 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour CriticalNot applicable
Structure NumberB160524FEDOTNBI

How Bridge Ratings Work

Inspectors rate each major part of a bridge (the deck you drive on, the superstructure of beams that holds it up, and the substructure of piers and abutments beneath) on a 0–9 scale. A bridge's overall condition is its lowest of those ratings, so one deteriorated component makes the whole bridge "poor."

0Failed
1Imminent failure
2Critical
3Serious
4Poor
5Fair
6Satisfactory
7Good
8Very good
9Excellent
Good · lowest component 7–9
Fair · lowest component 5–6
Poor · lowest component 0–4

A poor rating is not a closure. It means the bridge is flagged for priority repair or replacement; bridges judged unsafe are closed or posted with weight limits. The waterway (channel) rating is reported, but it does not count toward the overall classification.

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