12.4 Percent Of Northeast MA Bridges Structurally Deficient: Report

BEVERLY, MA — The Northeast region of Massachusetts has the most structurally deficient bridges in the state — with more than 12 percent of them failing — according to a new Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center report.

The report said there are 644 bridges in disrepair across the state, and another 218 for which the condition is listed as "unknown."

The report said the state Department of Transportation's Performance and Asset Management Advisory Council told the state legislature that "Massachusetts is fourth worst in the nation in percentage of poor bridges" and can expect "further deterioration of our bridges."

On average, Massachusetts residents live 1.7 miles away from the nearest structurally deficient bridge.

The reason for this, according to the report, is that Massachusetts bridges tend to be older than those in other parts of the country — on average, a Massachusetts bridge was built or most recently reconstructed 56 years ago — and are battered during the region's harsh winters.

More than one in five structurally deficient bridges in Massachusetts have restrictions on what kinds of vehicles can pass, mostly weight limitations.

The report said the Northeast Region of the state contains the fewest number of total bridges (1,016) among the six regions, but the highest percentage of them (12.4 percent) are structurally deficient, a total of 124.

On average, Northeast residents live 1.5 miles from the nearest structurally deficient bridge. Eight bridges are closed and 60 limit the load or capacity that can pass.

The Budget and Policy Center found that in Massachusetts, racial and ethnic minorities and limited-English proficient households tend to live nearer a structurally deficient bridge than others. Minority residents — those who self-identify to Census as a category other than non-Hispanic white — live closer on average to a structurally deficient bridge than the general population.

The report said that several factors, including the added stress of climate change and heavier trucks, will likely accelerate the deterioration of bridges across the state unless substantial resources are poured into the infrastructure repair.

The Hall-Whitaker Drawbridge in Beverly closed permanently in June after the state Department of Transportation determined it was deficient.

The bridge that carries Bridge Street over the Bass River was found to have "insufficient load-carrying capacity due to significant deterioration in the primary structural elements, warranting the closure of the bridge to all vehicular traffic."

Months later, there have been few updates as to when, or if, a temporary bridge can be installed at the location until a more permanent replacement bridge can be built.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)