Park Street Bridge Closed Indefinitely Due to Safety Concerns
By Grace Allen
The MassDOT has closed Norfolk’s Park Street bridge after a recent inspection. The town was notified on December 6 of the December 9 closure. The closure is expected to impact drivers in Norfolk, Franklin, and Wrentham.
The bridge is located at the northern end of Park Street, where it crosses the MBTA commuter railroad tracks. Park Street runs from Rt. 140 in Wrentham to Main Street in Norfolk. Significant detours are in place (see attached).
Structural issues were identified in the latest bridge inspection, which took place in May of 2024, according to MassDOT spokesperson John Goggin. Bridges are graded as Good, Fair, or Poor (previously known as “structurally deficient”), based on inspection and load capacity rating.
Massachusetts bridges are inspected at least on a biennial basis. In 2020, the Park Street bridge was downgraded from Fair to Poor due to structural issues. A bridge graded as Poor does not mean it is unsafe, just that some or all of the components require repair or replacement. Poor bridges are inspected more frequently.
Goggin says the structural issues of the Park Street bridge include ongoing corrosion of the exposed steel reinforcement, which may be indicative of section losses to the prestressing strands. The strands—steel wires used to strengthen the concrete beams—are embedded in concrete and not usually visible. Section loss means that parts of these strands are losing cross-sectional area, which can reduce the concrete beam’s load-carrying capacity.
After the prestressed concrete beams were downgraded from Fair to Poor condition in 2020, MassDOT increased the inspection frequency from every two years to every year. Goggin says that out of an abundance of caution, the decision was made to close the bridge to vehicular traffic prior to the winter season so the MassDOT can perform an in-depth evaluation of the structure. De-icing chemicals used in the winter can hasten deterioration by corroding the reinforcing steel in bridge decks.
MassDOT is responsible for all work on the bridge and does not anticipate any impact to the MBTA commuter rail, which runs below the bridge.
Currently, there is no timeline on when the bridge will be re-opened.
Park Street Bridge Detours
Traffic heading southbound on Route 140:
• Continue straight on Route 140 past Park Street
• Turn left onto Route 1A
• Turn left onto Route 115 (Pond Street)
• At the roundabout, take the first exit (Union Street)
• At the roundabout, take the third exit (Main Street)
• Continue on Main Street to the end of the detour
Traffic heading northbound on Route 140
• Continue straight on Route 140 past Park Street
• Turn right onto Chestnut Street
• Continue straight onto Pleasant Street/Main Street to the end of the detour
Traffic heading westbound on Main Street
• Continue straight on Main Street past Park Street
• Bear left onto Chestnut Street
• Turn left onto Route 140 southbound
• Continue on Route 140 to the end of the detour
Traffic heading eastbound on Main Street
• Continue straight on Main Street
• At the roundabout, take the first exit (Union Street)
• At the roundabout, take the third exit (North Street/Route 115)
• Turn right onto Route 1A southbound
• Turn right onto Route 140 northbound
• Continue on Route 140 to the end of the detour
Appropriate signage and messaging will be in place to guide drivers through the detour.
Drivers traveling through the affected area should expect delays, reduce speed, and use caution.
