Deficient Beverly Drawbridge To Close For Replacement

BEVERLY, MA — The Hall-Whitaker Drawbridge in Beverly will be closed starting Friday until further notice 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."

Sidewalks on both sides of the bridge will remain open for pedestrians and bicycles and the swing span for marine traffic will continue to operate as a reduced schedule is evaluated.

"We are working diligently to communicate swiftly and accurately about this quickly developing situation," Beverly Mayor Mike Cahill said. "To that end, we will schedule a community meeting as soon as possible. Please reach out with your questions and concerns."

Starting Friday, westbound traffic will be detoured to McPherson Drive northbound and left onto Route 62 westbound.

Eastbound traffic will be directed to stay on Route 62 eastbound to get to downtown Beverly, or turn right onto McPherson Drive southbound to rejoin Bridge Street on the east side of the bridge.

Local traffic on Bridge Street westbound will be detoured to McPherson Drive northbound, to Route 62 westbound and left onto County Way to connect to Bridge Street on the west side of the bridge.

Eastbound Bridge Street local traffic will be detoured to County Way, to Route 62 eastbound and right onto McPherson drive to connect to Bridge Street on the east side of the bridge.

Plans to replace the bridge are under design.

The Department of Transportation will meet with city and state officials in the coming weeks to develop and provide updates on the future of the bridge location.

(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.)