Structure W0501512PDOTNBI · Hampshire County, MA

ST 32 Palmer RD over Water Ware River

Carries ST 32 Palmer RD over Water Ware River, At Jct Old Belchertwn Rd..

Overall conditionPoor

Set by its lowest-rated component: Deck at 3 of 9.

How ratings work
Decksets the rating3/9 · Serious
Superstructure6/9 · Satisfactory
Substructure5/9 · Fair
Channelnot part of overall7/9 · Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT155 FT OVERALL25 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 3/9 · sets the ratingSuperstructure 6/9Substructure 5/9

155 ft end to end, longest span 84 ft: about 2 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.

Built193789 years old
Length154.9 ft47.2 m
Daily traffic12,634counted 2019
Last inspectedSeptember 2024every 6 months

Location

StateMassachusetts
CountyHampshire
LocationAt Jct Old Belchertwn Rd.
CarriesST 32 Palmer RD
CrossesWater Ware River
Coordinates42.23875, -72.28587

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length154.9 ft (47.2 m)
Max Span84.0 ft (25.6 m)
Deck Width40.0 ft (12.2 m)
Deck Area575.8 sq m
Main Spans3
Year Built1937

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic12,634 (2019)
Truck Traffic5%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionSeptember 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 6 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceHistorical significance is not determined
Scour Critical5 — Stable for scour
Structure NumberW0501512PDOTNBI

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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