Dive Teams Inspect Moody Street Bridge

From MassDot: Wednesday the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Underwater Operations Team conducted an underwater inspection of the Moody Street Bridge over the Charles River in Waltham.

“Today’s event highlights all the important work the MassDOT Underwater Operations Inspection Team performs to ensure our bridges remain safe throughout the Commonwealth,” said MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. “Their dedicated work includes inspecting and repairing the underwater elements of bridges in all seasons - including diving in rapid water, snow, and freezing temperatures.”

The Underwater Operations Inspection Team conducts approximately 375 dives per year, on a year-round basis, and has completed 172 inspections so far this year in addition to the Moody Street Bridge inspection. The primary function of the team is to inspect underwater infrastructure for the state-owned and municipally-owned bridges across the Commonwealth. The team also conducts tasks such as assisting state and local departments in repairing bridge substructure elements as needed, removing debris, installing countermeasures to prevent scouring on bridges, and assisting with search and recovery efforts.

“The Underwater Operations Unit is a critical component of the MassDOT Bridge Inspection Program,” said State Bridge Inspection Engineer Brian Clang. “Through underwater bridge inspections, the members of the dive team are able to measure deterioration, bridge scour, and impacts of environmental conditions that could impact the structural integrity of bridge but are not easily visible.”

Constructed in 1943, the Moody Street Bridge is a nine span reinforced concrete spandrel filled arch bridge approximately 240 feet long. The average daily traffic of the four lane bridge is 23,500 vehicles. Prior to today’s inspection the bridge was last inspected in the spring of 2015. The bridge is on a three-year dive inspection cycle, which is considered the typical inspection frequency depending on bridge conditions.

Image Via MassDot