Structure L150192FTDOTNBI · Middlesex County, MA

HWY Bridge ST over Water Merrimack River

Carries HWY Bridge ST over Water Merrimack River, 0.25 Mi W Falls & RT 110.

Overall conditionFair

Set by its lowest-rated component: Deck and Superstructure and Substructure at 5 of 9.

How ratings work
Decksets the rating5/9 · Fair
Superstructuresets the rating5/9 · Fair
Substructuresets the rating5/9 · Fair
Channelnot part of overall6/9 · Satisfactory
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT474 FT OVERALL100 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 5/9Superstructure 5/9Substructure 5/9

474 ft end to end, longest span 197 ft: about 7 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 through truss.

Built193789 years old
Length474.1 ft144.5 m
Daily traffic18,230counted 2024
Last inspectedMay 2024every 24 months

Location

StateMassachusetts
CountyMiddlesex
Location0.25 Mi W Falls & RT 110
CarriesHWY Bridge ST
CrossesWater Merrimack River
Coordinates42.64817, -71.30515

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignTruss - Thru
Total Length474.1 ft (144.5 m)
Max Span196.9 ft (60 m)
Deck Width70.5 ft (21.5 m)
Deck Area3106.8 sq m
Main Spans3
Year Built1937

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic18,230 (2024)
Truck Traffic3%
Lanes On Bridge3

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionMay 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical3 — Scour critical
Structure NumberL150192FTDOTNBI

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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