Project Selection and Development

MassDOT and DCR engineers have carefully selected which bridges will be included in the Accelerated Bridge Program. The Accelerated Bridge Program will focus on the following:

• Bridges classified as Structurally Deficient and in need of repair.
• Bridges posted with weight restrictions that restrict truck traffic along corridors.
• Bridges which are closed because of significant structural issues.
• Bridges that are in danger of falling into Structurally Deficient status.
• Bridges of significance to the DCR system.
• Bridges not expected to see repairs until 2011 or later.

To fix these bridges, the following work will take place as part of the accelerated bridge program:

• Bridge Rehabilitation Projects
• Bridge Replacement Projects
• Bridge Preservation and Maintenance projects designed to prevent bridge from becoming structurally deficient and requiring no engineering.
• Bridge painting and cleaning project:

Work is well underway in determining the prioritization of bridges within the Accelerated Bridge Program. MassDOT and DCR have identified the current Structurally Deficient bridges in Massachusetts and prioritized the bridges using the inspection database and considering various bridge issues such as high traffic count, scour critical (damage caused by moving water), non redundancy and District input and priorities. This listing identified over 500 bridge projects for the Program.