Structure L150222BNMUNNBI · Middlesex County, MA

HWY School ST over Water Merrimack River

Carries HWY School ST over Water Merrimack River, S. Of Vfw Highway.

Overall conditionFair

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

How ratings work
Deck7/9 · Good
Superstructure6/9 · Satisfactory
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 FT336 FT OVERALL50 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9Superstructure 6/9Substructure 5/9 · sets the rating

336 ft end to end, longest span 125 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.

Built1917rebuilt 2005
Length336.0 ft102.4 m
Daily traffic20,800counted 2019
Last inspectedNovember 2023every 24 months

Location

StateMassachusetts
CountyMiddlesex
LocationS. Of Vfw Highway
CarriesHWY School ST
CrossesWater Merrimack River
Coordinates42.64986, -71.33079

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length336.0 ft (102.4 m)
Max Span125.3 ft (38.2 m)
Deck Width56.4 ft (17.2 m)
Deck Area1761.3 sq m
Main Spans3
Year Built1917 (reconstructed 2005)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic20,800 (2019)
Truck Traffic10%
Lanes On Bridge3

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionNovember 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerCity/Municipal Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceHistorical significance is not determined
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure NumberL150222BNMUNNBI

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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