Mount Pleasant Street Bridge Deteriorating, New Weight Limit Established

A 22 ton weight limit has been placed on the Mount Pleasant Street bridge after a private inspection company determined that the aging bridge has deteriorated significantly.

The Burlington City Council learned of the status of the bridge during a Monday Night City Council work session. Mike Vander Wert, a spokesman for the contracting company, says that the 72 year old bridge’s deck is seriously damaged after years of use.

“It’s 72 years old.” Vander Wert said, “It’s done well, but it’s reached the point where the salt and the contaminants used to de-ice the road over the years and the use of the deck have deteriorated the deck, and it’s cracking it.”

The steel bridge was originally constructed in 1943. The City Council has a choice in front of them: rehabilitate the bridge, or spend around $3 million on a new bridge. It’s likely they’ll move to replace it.

City manager Jim Ferneau says that money to completely replace the bridge has already been allocated in the 2018 City Budget. The project is also part of the city’s five year road plan.

In the interim, shipping companies in town will have to change trucking routes in order to compensate for loads greater than 22 tons.