After a defect was discovered in the welds of several recently installed beams, the ongoing replacement of the North Washington Street Bridge will likely experience more delays, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT).
“MassDOT Engineers have identified a defect in the welds on several recently installed beams and are in the process of determining the cause and remedial action,” Kristen Pennucci,
MassDOT’s communications director, wrote in email. “The defects that were identified are on the portion of the bridge under construction and closed to public access.”
The project can still move forward “as work has been restricted to other areas of the project ,” added Pennucci, “while the engineering investigation of the welds is ongoing.”
How this will impact the project schedule is still unknown, wrote Pennucci, but in the meantime, “the traveling public should continue to use the adjacent temporary bridge that is not impacted.”