Andrew P. McArdle Memorial Bridge

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Andrew McArdle Bridge
Andrew McArdle Bridge, from Wikimapia
Coordinates42°23′09″N 71°02′21″W / 42.3858516°N 71.0392682°W / 42.3858516; -71.0392682
CarriesMeridian Street in East Boston, Pearl Street in Chelsea
CrossesChelsea Creek
LocaleEast Boston and Chelsea, Massachusetts
Official nameAndrew P. McArdle Memorial Bridge
Other name(s)Meridian Street Bridge
Named forAndrew P. McArdle (1896-1950)
OwnerMassDOT
Preceded byChelsea Street Bridge
Followed byBoston harbor
Characteristics
DesignBascule bridge
Total length1,075 feet (328 m)
Width44 feet (13 m)
Longest span225 feet (69 m)
Clearance above21 feet (6.4 m) (closed), 157 feet (48 m) (open)
History
Opened1954
ReplacesMeridian Street Swing Bridge (1901)
Statistics
Daily traffic23,600, 4% truck (2014)
Tollnone
Location
Map
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]

References[edit]

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