Structure B16019383MUNNBI · Suffolk County, MA

HWY Meridian ST over Water Chelsea River

Carries HWY Meridian ST over Water Chelsea River, @ Chelsea Tl = C09005.

Overall conditionPoor

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

How ratings work
Deck5/9 · Fair
Superstructuresets the rating4/9 · Poor
Substructure6/9 · Satisfactory
Channelnot part of overall6/9 · Satisfactory
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT1,075 FT OVERALL200 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 5/9Superstructure 4/9 · sets the ratingSubstructure 6/9

1,075 ft end to end: about 3.0 football fields. 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 bascule bridge (drawn closed).

Built1954rebuilt 2002
Length1075.1 ft327.7 m
Daily traffic22,435counted 2018
Last inspectedNovember 2024every 6 months

Location

StateMassachusetts
CountySuffolk
Location@ Chelsea Tl = C09005
CarriesHWY Meridian ST
CrossesWater Chelsea River
Coordinates42.38566, -71.03930

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel
DesignMovable - Bascule
Total Length1075.1 ft (327.7 m)
Max Span225.1 ft (68.6 m)
Deck Width44.0 ft (13.4 m)
Deck Area4391.2 sq m
Main Spans1
Year Built1954 (reconstructed 2002)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic22,435 (2018)
Truck Traffic6%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionNovember 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 6 months
OwnerCity/Municipal Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical5 — Stable for scour
Structure NumberB16019383MUNNBI

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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