Drawbridge Deficiencies Get a Fix

The unique, hand-drawn drawbridge that connects Ryal Side to downtown has undergone repairs that hope to ensure continued operated of the bridge, which was built in 1909.

Even though the Hall-Whitaker bridge is on Bridge Street - a city street - it is owned and operated by the state Department of Transportation, much like the Kernwood Bridge on Kernwood Avenue.

The bridge, which is nearly 100 years old, had some “some deficiencies that surfaced with sections of the open-grate bridge deck” that needed to be repaired, according to MassDOT spokesman Michael Verseckes.

The work was done by Cora Electric as part of a structural repair contract for drawbridges in northeastern Massachusetts. The project cost about $25,000 and took about two weeks to complete, with alternating one-lane traffic during the work.

“There aren't any major structural issues with this bridge, but that said, for any moveable bridge, it's important that any deficiencies that are detected are addressed as soon as possible,” Verseckes said. “Any issue with the balance, position, or movement of any moveable piece of a bridge can have long-term negative, and at times, costly consequences.”