Two Swampscott Bridges Listed As Functionally Obsolete But Safe

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article mistakenly identified the status of two Swampscott bridges. They are considered functionally obsolete.

Two Swampscott bridges that cross railroad tracks in town are functionally obsolete but structurally sound. 

The bridge ratings are among a national collection shown on an interactive map:  "The Fix We're In: The State of Our Bridges."

The closest structurally deficient bridge to Swampscott is in Salem on Jefferson Avenue.

Even structurally deficient bridges can remain in use depending on the amount of traffic and the state's ability to make repairs, said Rich Nangle of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

The "functionally obsolete" term  means a bridge's design is outdated and doesn't meet today's standards, according to the Federal Highway Administration..

A functionally obsolete bridge may have a lower load-carrying capacity or be too narrow for current standards.

In Swampscott, one functionally obsolete bridge is the Essex Street bridge, located on an s-curve not far from the high school.

The other functionally obsolete one is the Joseph Doane Bridge, on Danvers Road, named after a officer killed while on patrol. 

A spokesman for the Massachusetts Dept. of Transportation said the two Swampscott bridges are safe for travel.

"If we think a bridge is unsafe we shut it down," said Mass. DOT Spokesman Rich Nangle.

Public Works Director Gino Cresta also said both bridges have been worked on in the past 15 years and are safe.

The group that released the list of bridges, Transportation For America, said its information came from the Federal Highway Administration, which relied on reports from the states.

"If a bridge was on the list it was because an inspection had showed one of the principle components was rated a "4" or lower on the 9-point scale," said Transportation For America spokesman David Goldberg.

The Danvers Road bridge's deck has a rating of 6 and the Essex Street bridge's deck has a rating of 5.

Massachusetts fell in the middle of the pack, 25th,  of states ranked with the highest percentage of deficient bridges, according to the transportation report.

Massachusetts has 5,102 bridges, 561 of which are deficient or 11 percent, according to the report.

The Essex Street bridge was built in 1943. An estimated 19,700 cars pass over it each day.

The Joseph Doane Bridge was built in 1995. An estimated 35,200 cars travel over it each day.

The two Swampscott bridges were last inspected in September 2008, according to the list released by the Transportation For America group.

The group is lobbying for improvements to the country's transportation infrastructure.

Here is a link to the report. Enter zip code 01907 and click on the flags in Swampscott for information.