Replacing two obsolete bridges, enhancing bicycle and pedestrian safety, and improving connectivity

Woods Memorial Bridge Replacement

Originally designed as Route 16’s movable bascule bridge over the Malden River, the Woods Memorial Bridge needed to be replaced. After years of use, the existing bridge was structurally deficient and functionally obsolete—it had actually been 30 years since the span had been raised. Plus, Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) repair crews were constantly out fixing it. 

The fixed-span replacement bridge includes at-grade shared-use path connections along the banks of the Malden River beneath the bridge—a series of connections that is a major improvement for multimodal transportation services. They directly connect to the Wellington MBTA station and will connect to major mixed-use developments as part of a multi-year urban renewal program. 

This project, as part of MassDOT’s Accelerated Bridge Program, also includes a second Route 16 bridge replacement, this one over a local roadway, MBTA commuter rail, and Orange Line rapid transit tracks. All together, the reconstruction will include approximately 3,000 feet of Route 16, a principal arterial and the primary east/west connection between Route 1, I-93, points west, and the cities of Everett, Medford, and Revere.