Kernwood Bridge In Salem Stuck, Closed To Traffic Tuesday

SALEM, MA — The ongoing headache that can be traveling between Salem and Beverly ratcheted up to another level on Tuesday afternoon when the Kernwood Bridge drawbridge was stuck in the open position.

The bridge was closed to traffic at about 3:30 p.m. during the malfunction with drivers advised to see an alternate route in the area, according to the state Department of Transportation.

One of the few alternate routes, however, remains closed to through traffic since the Hall-Whitaker Bridge was shut down to vehicle traffic two years ago.

An update to the decade-long timeline prescribed to build a temporary Hall-Whitaker Bridge, then repair and replace both the existing Kernwood Bridge and Hall-Whitaker Bridge is set for Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Beverly Middle School.

MassDOT officials at the June public meeting said that the target for having a temporary replacement of the Hall-Whitaker Bridge — which was ordered closed to auto traffic in June 2022— at that point was the middle of 2027.

Demolition of the current Hall-Whitaker Bridge and construction on the new permanent drawbridge would then begin upon the opening of the temporary fixed bridge in 2027.

At the same time, work will be done to stabilize the deficient Kernwood Bridge pending the completion of the temporary Hall-Whitaker Bridge before that bridge is rebuilt as well.

MassDOT representatives said the timeline for both permanent bridges to be completed is 2032 — about three years sooner than the original 13-year timeline proposed in the first public meeting following the Hall-Whitaker closure nearly two years ago.

Some of the regulatory hurdles are environmental and have to do with restrictions on the time of year when certain river floor construction that disrupts the silt can be done because of protected spawning fish.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)