Arthur J. DiTommaso Memorial Bridge

The Arthur J. DiTommaso Memorial Bridge, also called the Nashua River Bridge and the Fifth Street Bridge, is a cable-stayed suspension bridge, and it was the second bridge of its type erected in Massachusetts.

The previous bridge was built in 1912 and was a six-span reinforced concrete arch bridge. It was not maintained properly and after decades of neglect, it was closed in the 1990’s. The State originally wanted to rehabilitate the existing bridge, but after extensive testing, it was determined that the bridge was in such bad shape that it was not practical to fix it.

The bridge was demolished in 1997. It was determined that the new bridge would be a cable-stayed bridge due to the site conditions. This bridge was constructed from 2001 to 2003.

This bridge is an incredibly unique cable-stayed bridge. It is not symmetrical from end to end, or even on each side of each tower. On the east tower, there are ten stay cables on the east side and twelve stay cables on the west side. On the west tower, there are sixteen stay cables on the east side and fourteen stay cables on the west side. This was done because the span requirements were different on each approach. The west approach span (167’ long) crosses a rail trail and the Boston & Maine Railroad, the main span (356’ long) crosses the Nashua River and an abandoned industrial site, and the east approach span (118’ long) crosses a steep embankment down to the river.

The unsymmetrical design of the bridge complicated both the design and construction. After construction was completed, premature concrete was discovered, as well as a significant deviation of the cable forces from those predicted by design. MassDOT and FHWA commissioned an independent safety and as-built condition review. The review included a survey of all the observed distress, a complete as-built analysis, and an evaluation of all major elements. Fortunately, the review did not show any structural deficiencies, and no additional construction or repairs were needed.

In 1996, the bridge was officially named the Arthur J. DiTommaso Memorial Bridge in honor of Arthur J. DiTommaso who served as a Fitchburg police officer for many years. This name was maintained when the bridge was replaced with the current structure.