Structure L150612PBDOTNBI · Middlesex County, MA

ST 38 NB Smith Rty over HWY Lowell-lwrnce BLVD

Carries ST 38 NB Smith Rty over HWY Lowell-lwrnce BLVD, East Bridge Smith Rty.

Overall conditionFair

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

How ratings work
Deck7/9 · Good
Superstructuresets the rating5/9 · Fair
Substructure6/9 · Satisfactory
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT144 FT OVERALL25 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9Superstructure 5/9 · sets the ratingSubstructure 6/9

144 ft end to end, longest span 73 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.

Built1954rebuilt 2012
Length144.0 ft43.9 m
Daily traffic13,060counted 2019
Last inspectedNovember 2023every 24 months

Location

StateMassachusetts
CountyMiddlesex
LocationEast Bridge Smith Rty
CarriesST 38 NB Smith Rty
CrossesHWY Lowell-lwrnce BLVD
Coordinates42.64802, -71.29848

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length144.0 ft (43.9 m)
Max Span73.2 ft (22.3 m)
Deck Width47.9 ft (14.6 m)
Deck Area640.9 sq m
Main Spans3
Year Built1954 (reconstructed 2012)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic13,060 (2019)
Truck Traffic5%
Lanes On Bridge1
Lanes Under Bridge3

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionNovember 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour CriticalNot applicable
Structure NumberL150612PBDOTNBI

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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