MassDOT closes Whitney Street bridge; town told repairs could take years

The Town of Northborough said MassDOT has closed the Whitney Street bridge after inspections found deterioration that makes the structure unsafe for travel. The traffic safety committee was told the select board chose closure rather than a temporary single‑lane structure after MassDOT indicated the bridge’s exterior beams were “completely deteriorated.”

Scott Charpentier, the town’s transportation/public-works representative at the Dec. 9 meeting, said MassDOT offered to ask the Federal Highway Administration whether a temporary, single‑lane, bidirectional structure could be placed over the centerline, but that federal approval was not guaranteed. Chair (name not stated in the record) said the select board decided to close the bridge “as of today.”

Why it matters: committee members and staff said the repair will be complex because the bridge spans active freight tracks. “This is over a railroad…so I’m sorry… it’s not an easy, quick process to do bridge design over railroads,” Charpentier said. He and other members estimated that emergency design, bidding and construction would take at least two years, and possibly longer.

The committee also raised immediate traffic-safety concerns about the detour routing and placement of chevron barriers that force some northbound drivers to cross a double yellow centerline. Charpentier said he has asked MassDOT to shift the chevrons and signage to the shoulder to reduce the risk of drivers crossing the centerline at nearby intersections.

Next steps: the select board’s closure stands while MassDOT and town staff evaluate repair options and any temporary measures. Committee members said they will monitor detour signage and coordinate with MassDOT on temporary treatments; no timetable for reopening was given at the meeting.