Engineering and Technical Support for Bridge Projects Under the State's Accelerated Bridge Program
Weston & Sampson provided engineering and technical support services to the MassDOT for various types of highway and bridge projects under the state’s Accelerated Bridge Program. Assignments under this program included a range of services, such as project scoping, design reviews, highway/bridge design, geotechnical studies, environmental studies, construction phase services, special studies, report and document preparation, and emergency assignments.
Hugh Farren Pedestrian Bridge Rehabilitation
As part of our on-call contract with MassDOT, Weston & Sampson assisted with the inspection, design, and construction administration for rehabilitation of the Hugh Farren Pedestrian Bridge in Boston. The DCR-owned bridge, built in 1940, spans across Old Colony Avenue, a six-lane roadway, and is listed as a contributing element to a National Register-listed historic district. It provides access to Moakley Park for the Mary Ellen McCormack Housing Complex (BHA). The bridge was constructed using a center cast-in-place reinforced concrete pier with cantilevered ramps, decks, and continuous steel railings.
Weston & Sampson provided structural and geotechnical inspection services to determine the soundness of the steel decking and railings as well as the concrete pier. Our team also provided environmental testing to determine if lead was present in the deck and railing paint.
Weston & Sampson’s engineers determined that the concrete foundation could be reused in the rehabilitation design. The design also included structural repairs to the steel girders, replacement of the bridge deck, and new ADA-compliant handrails.