Structurally Deficient Brown Street Bridge Closed in North AdamsBy Tammy Daniels, iBerkshires Staff
06:26PM / Tuesday, March 21, 2023 | |
 The Brown Street bridge has been on the state's fix-it list for some time. It was closed 'indefinitely' on Tuesday. |
The bridge was built in 1952 over the Hoosic River.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The state has ordered the Brown Street bridge closed.
Residents were alerted the closure of the span that connects River Street to West Main Street by the city's CodeRed alert system around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The bridge is closed "indefinitely."
The bridge is blocked off on both sides though Brown Street is still accessible from West Main Street.
The 26-foot steel structure's poor condition is well known and it was listed with 19 other bridges in the Berkshires requiring repairs or replacement using funding from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. Brown Street is in line for nearly $1 million for superstructure repairs.
According to MassDOT's bridge inventory, the Brown Street bridge has a deck rating of 7 and a superstructure rating of 3. Bridges are deemed structurally deficient with a rating less than 4.
As of Tuesday, the bridge's information in the system had last been updated on Feb. 23.
MassDOT has had the bridge in preliminary design stage for rehabilitation since 2013 with an estimated project cost of $5.6 million.
The state Department of Transportation was expected to invest more than $3 billion in repairing bridges, addressing more than one-third of the structurally deficient bridge backlog. Last year, it had initiated more 146 bridge repair or replacement projects on 181 bridge structures.
Massachusetts has 444 bridges classified as structurally deficient, according to the National Bridge Inventory, and has identified more than $15 billion in repairs for 4,901 spans.
Mayor Jennifer Macksey confirmed on Tuesday that state inspectors had closed the bridge and said she would be able to speak on the bridge Wednesday.
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