Andrew P. McArdle Memorial Bridge explained

Bridge Name:Andrew McArdle Bridge
Official Name:Andrew P. McArdle Memorial Bridge
Other Name:Meridian Street Bridge
Carries:Meridian Street in East Boston, Pearl Street in Chelsea
Crosses:Chelsea Creek
Locale:East Boston and Chelsea, Massachusetts
Owner:MassDOT
Design:Bascule bridge
Clearance: (closed), (open)
Open:1954
Named For:Andrew P. McArdle (1896-1950)
Toll:none
Traffic:23,600, 4% truck (2014)
Preceded:Chelsea Street Bridge
Followed:Boston Harbor
Replaces:Meridian Street Swing Bridge (1901)
Coordinates:42.3859°N -71.0393°W
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]

Notes and References

  1. http://bridgereports.com/1234922 Hwy Meridian St over water Chelsea River