The Tyngsborough Bridge is a steel
tied-arch bridge
A tied-arch bridge is an arch bridge in which the outward horizontal forces of the arch(es) caused by tension at the arch ends to a foundation are countered by equal tension of its own gravity plus any element of the total deck structure such grea ...
located in
Tyngsborough, Massachusetts
Tyngsborough (also spelled Tyngsboro) is a town in northern Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Tyngsborough is from Boston along the Route 3 corridor, and located on the New Hampshire state line. At the 2020 census, the town popula ...
and carries
Route 113 over the
Merrimack River
The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into M ...
. With a span of 547 feet, it has the longest span of any steel rib through arch bridges in Massachusetts. It is also the 2nd oldest steel rib through arch bridge in the state. The bridge is center hinged and features
pratt-type trussing.
History
The Tyngsborough Bridge was constructed in 1931 to replace the wooden
Whipple truss bridge. The new bridge was sited alongside but not parallel to the older, starting close the old structure on the eastern side of the river but reaching the western side well both of the old bridge. The Tyngsboro Bridge shares its open, braced rib design with the
Boston University Bridge
The Boston University Bridge, originally the Cottage Farm Bridge and commonly referred to as the BU Bridge, is a steel truss through arch bridge with a suspended deck carrying Route 2 over the Charles River, connecting the Boston University ca ...
.
Starting in 1975 the bridge was rebuilt, but the cost of the construction generated controversy.
In November 2005, the bridge was closed again for repairs following reports of structural deficiency. The temporary Mabey Panel Bridge was constructed alongside of the main bridge and repairs on the main bridge began in 2009. The repair operation was contracted out to S & R Corp. for $16.4 million, but eventually cost $19 million by the completion of the project. This was partially due to delays with steel girders failing stress tests, which required re-engineering, and the discovery that the original bridge had been constructed with
lead paint
Lead paint or lead-based paint is paint containing lead. As pigment, lead(II) chromate (, "chrome yellow"), lead(II,IV) oxide, (, "red lead"), and lead(II) carbonate (, "white lead") are the most common forms.. Lead is added to paint to accele ...
which required S & R Corp. to take measures to ensure that the paint chips did not fall into the river below. The repairs took three years to complete with the bridge reopening in 2012.
References
{{Reflist, 2
;Additional sources
* Peter M. Millot, ''The Lower Merrimack River Valley: an inventory of historic engineering and industrial sites'' (North Andover, Massachusetts: Merrimack Valley Textile Museum, 1978)
External links
Photographs, 1931-1932
Bridges in Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Bridges completed in 1930
Bridges over the Merrimack River
Steel bridges in the United States
Through arch bridges in the United States
Road bridges in Massachusetts