Andrew P. McArdle Memorial Bridge

Last updated
Andrew McArdle Bridge
Andrew McArdle Bridge Wikimapia.jpg
Andrew McArdle Bridge, from Wikimapia
Coordinates 42°23′09″N71°02′21″W / 42.3858516°N 71.0392682°W / 42.3858516; -71.0392682 Coordinates: 42°23′09″N71°02′21″W / 42.3858516°N 71.0392682°W / 42.3858516; -71.0392682
CarriesMeridian Street in East Boston, Pearl Street in Chelsea
Crosses Chelsea Creek
Locale East Boston and Chelsea, Massachusetts
Official nameAndrew P. McArdle Memorial Bridge
Other name(s)Meridian Street Bridge
Named for Andrew P. McArdle (1896-1950)
Owner MassDOT
Preceded by Chelsea Street Bridge
Followed by Boston harbor
Characteristics
Design Bascule bridge
Total length1,075 feet (328 m)
Width44 feet (13 m)
Longest span225 feet (69 m)
Clearance above 21 feet (6.4 m) (closed), 157 feet (48 m) (open)
History
Opened1954
ReplacesMeridian Street Swing Bridge (1901)
Statistics
Daily traffic 23,600, 4% truck (2014)
Tollnone
Location
Andrew P. McArdle Memorial Bridge
References
http://bridgereports.com/1234922

The Andrew P. McArdle Memorial Bridge is a steel truss bascule bridge over the Chelsea Creek, just upstream of its confluence with the Mystic River and the Tobin Bridge. Also known as the Meridian Street Bridge, it connects Meridian Street in East Boston with Pearl Street in Chelsea, Massachusetts. The bridge is a split rolling bascule, meaning that instead of pivoting on axles, the two counterweighted spans are raised by rolling on large semi-circular gears.

The bridge was refurbished in 2002. According to the U.S. Federal Highway Administration 2017 National Bridge Inventory, the bridge structure's condition is poor and is "[b]asically intolerable requiring high priority of replacement." [1]

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References

  1. Hwy Meridian St over water Chelsea River, National Bridge Inventory, U.S. FHA, 2017