Great Barrington — The bridge on Brookside Road has been closed indefinitely by the state’s Department of Transportation.
The bridge closure was announced in the late afternoon of Thursday, May 2 by the town’s police department.
According to a follow-up announcement made on the town’s social media pages, the town announced that MassDOT closed the bridge following a routine inspection by MassDOT.
According to the town’s Public Works Superintendent Joe Aberdale, the inspection requires further state review, and that there is no timeline for the bridge’s reopening.
In the announcement, Aberdale is quoted as saying that load limits on older trestle bridges have been disregarded for years by heavy vehicles and that the usage has, more than likely, taken a toll on the bridges.
The announcement by the town states that southbound drivers heading to Brush Hill and the north end of Boardman Street will need to travel further south on Route 7 to Kellogg Road and then onto Boardman Street, heading north.
According to the website HistoricBridges.0rg, the bridge was built in 1949, with a total length of 148.3 feet, and a span length of 142.7 feet, and is a truss bridge that goes over the Housatonic River.
The Berkshire Edge has reached out to MassDOT for further information and will provide further updates when they become available.
Update May 3, 1 p.m.: Town Manager Mark Pruhenski wrote via email to The Berkshire Edge that it is not clear if the closure of the bridge is temporary or permanent. He added that he is still obtaining information from MassDOT and will share further updates when possible.
Update May 6: According to MassDOT spokesperson John Goggin, a MassDOT bridge inspection found extensive and severe deterioration to the floor beams of the bridge, including severe section loss and perforations.
An inspection report is being conducted by MassDOT. Goggin stated that, once the report is completed, the results can be analyzed to determine if potential repairs can be done or if the bridge needs to remain closed until a larger rehabilitation or replacement project is designed and constructed.
Goggin did not state a timeline for when the report will be completed, but said that representatives from MassDOT will be meeting with a design consultant in the coming weeks to discuss the project.
