Town of Natick, MA Pleasant Street Bridge Rehabilitation

The settlement, located at a bend of the Charles River in South Natick, included fertile land on both riverbanks. The Pleasant Street Bridge, originally a wooden structure built by the settlers in the 17th century, evolved into today’s stone bridge after multiple reconstructions and repairs.

The Pleasant Street Bridge, also known as Eliot Bridge, is a historic dry-laid masonry arch bridge with four spans, each 25 feet long. It is listed in the Massachusetts inventory of historic places and stands as one of the few stone bridges on the Charles River that has retained its original form. Over time, weather and age led to structural concerns, including load capacity, spandrel wall deflection, leaking utilities, substandard railing, roadway settlement, and inadequate sidewalks.

The rehabilitation project began with GPI’s analysis of its ability to handle the load required by the state engineers. Using advanced surveys and testing, GPI created a detailed model, considering arch deficiencies. They found the arches were well above the state’s capacity requirements. Some areas needed localized grouting to stabilize the arch stones. Gas lines were modified, and water and sewer lines were insulated. Due to many utilities over, installing a water barrier was impractical, so a soil hardener was used to help reduce the porosity of the fill over the arches. The bridge was repaved for additional protection. GPI also oversaw construction as part of their services.