Structure M170072UPDOTNBI · Essex County, MA

I 93 over HWY Riverside DR

Carries I 93 over HWY Riverside DR, At Merrimac River.

Overall conditionFair

Set by its lowest-rated component: Deck and Superstructure and Substructure at 6 of 9.

How ratings work
Decksets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Superstructuresets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Substructuresets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT312 FT OVERALL50 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 6/9Superstructure 6/9Substructure 6/9

312 ft end to end, longest span 83 ft: about 4 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.

Built1959rebuilt 1975
Length312.0 ft95.1 m
Daily traffic133,000counted 2018
Last inspectedOctober 2023every 24 months

Location

StateMassachusetts
CountyEssex
LocationAt Merrimac River
CarriesI 93
CrossesHWY Riverside DR
Coordinates42.70219, -71.21011

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length312.0 ft (95.1 m)
Max Span83.0 ft (25.3 m)
Deck Width142.7 ft (43.5 m)
Deck Area4136.9 sq m
Main Spans4
Year Built1959 (reconstructed 1975)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic133,000 (2018)
Truck Traffic12%
Lanes On Bridge8
Lanes Under Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionOctober 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceHistorical significance is not determined
Scour CriticalNot applicable
Structure NumberM170072UPDOTNBI

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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