Good Harbor Beach Pedestrian Bridge Replacement following Hurricane Season
The Good Harbor Pedestrian Bridge provides access to Good Harbor beach and is enjoyed by the residents and visitors who surf, birdwatch, and walk/run year round. However, frequent storms and hurricanes did significant damage to the bridge over the years. During the hurricane season of 2012, a large section of the 240-foot long boardwalk/pedestrian bridge that provides access to Good Harbor Beach from Nautilus Road was washed out and in need of partial replacement and repair. Weston & Sampson’s team of structural engineers surveyed the damaged boardwalk/pedestrian bridge and developed a plan to rebuild the structure that could be implemented by the city.
We recommended to the City of Gloucester that to extend the service life, the repair of the existing structure should include replacing the entire west end of the boardwalk, including damaged concrete footings and washed-out sidewalks. Additional repairs included installing new deck planks and replacing the painted steel handrail on the center span of the bridge.
In approximately one month, all repairs were implemented and inspected prior to the official opening of the beach season, Memorial Day 2013.