Charles M. Braga Jr. Memorial Bridge

Braga Bridge
The Braga Bridge as seen from Fall River, MA
Coordinates	41°42′23.62″N 71°09′56.51″W
Carries	I-195
Crosses	Taunton River
Locale	Somerset and Fall River, Massachusetts
Official name	Charles M. Braga Jr. Bridge
Characteristics
Design	Continuous through truss, single intersection Warren truss with verticals. Approach spans are plate girders.
Total length	5,780 feet (1,760 m)
Width	101.3 feet (30.9 m)
Height	254 feet (77 m) (Height of towers)
Longest span	840 feet (260 m)
Clearance below	135 feet (41 m)
History
Construction cost	$22 million
Opened	1965, 1989
Statistics
Daily traffic	80,000 - 100,000 vehicles per day
Location

At just over a mile long, the Braga Bridge, also known as the Charles M. Braga Jr. Memorial Bridge, is one of the longest bridge structures in Massachusetts. It carries Interstate 195 over the Taunton River between the town of Somerset and the city of Fall River.

History

The Braga Bridge under construction

Planning began in the 1950's for a new bridge to ease the congestion of the nearby Brightman Street Bridge, as well as to carry the proposed "Cape Cod Expressway" over the Taunton River. In 1959, the role of the new bridge was changed to carrying the new Interstate 195 over the Taunton River, west to Providence. Construction of the bridge started in 1959 and finished in the spring of 1966. The bridge was named after Charles M. Braga, a Fall River native of Portuguese American descent who was killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Specifications

With a total span of 5,780 feet (1,760 m), and standing 135 feet (41 m) over high water in the Taunton River, the Braga Bridge easily accommodates the high-traffic shipping lane in the river. It is approximately 101 feet (31 m) wide, enough for six lanes of traffic.

Blue paint job almost complete, July 2011

Braga Bridge before repainting

Recent History

As the Braga Bridge approached its 25th anniversary in 1989, the Massachusetts Department of Public Works (MassDPW) undertook a comprehensive two-year rehabilitation of the span and approaches. The project included the replacement of the existing deck with a new lightweight deck overlaid with bituminous concrete. Construction crews repaired and repainted structural steel along the length of the mile-long span, a new concrete Jersey barrier was built in the center median, and "suicide fences" were built along the span.

In 2003, the Massachusetts Highway Department began what was to be a three-year, $9 million rehabilitation of the Braga Bridge. The new top concrete layer of roadway was given a latex additive that resists water seepage to reduce cracking. Originally scheduled for completion in 2005, the end of the project was first re-scheduled for 2006 because of delays associated with the nearby Government Center project along I-195 in Fall River.

In the late summer of 2009, a vote was held for SouthCoast residents to decide on a new color for the bridge. Over 7,000 votes were cast, with voters choosing a dark blue color over lime green (the current color), light blue, and silver. The work began on the new paint job April 11, 2010, and was originally scheduled for completion in June 2011. The estimated cost for the project is $13.3 million. As of mid 2012, the project is nearing completion.

Bridge and Fall River Waterfront

See also

• List of crossings of the Taunton River
• Brightman Street Bridge
• Veterans Memorial Bridge

External links

• Steve Anderson's Bostonroads.com: Charles Braga Bridge (I-195)
• Bostonroads.com
• Charles M. Braga Jr. Memorial Bridge at Structurae