The Civic Broadside · Malden Bridges Conect the City

The Bridges of Malden

What condition are Malden's bridges in?
Published
The federal inventory's seven Malden structures, with the lowest of each bridge's condition ratings, 2020 to 2025.1
BridgeOwnerBuiltVehicles a dayLowest rating, 2025 file2020 to 2025Map
Clifton Street (over Comb MBTA/BMRR & Orange)Other state agency18995,9045 (Fair)5 5 6 6 5 5Map
Florence Street (over Dartmouth Street)City of Malden197511,6006 (Fair)6 6 6 6 6 6Map
Lynn Street (over Pines River)City of Malden18505,3606 (Fair)6 6 6 6 6 6Map
Route 1 (over Lynn Street)State (MassDOT)193770,1806 (Fair)6 6 6 6 6 6Map
Medford Street (over Malden River)State (MassDOT)197632,1005 (Fair)5 5 5 5 5 5Map
Mountain Avenue (over Comb MBTA/BMRR & Orange)Other state agency18903,0006 (Fair)6 6 6 6 6 6Map
Winter Street (over MBTA/BMRR)State (MassDOT)19766,4005 (Fair)5 5 5 5 5 5Map

Florence Street's bridge over Dartmouth Street, built in 1975, carries about 11,600 vehicles a day. Its overall rating held at 6 (Fair) in every FHWA filing from 2020 through 2025 — but that headline number, the lowest of the bridge's three component ratings, obscures a change worth noting: the bridge's superstructure rating slipped from a 7 (Good) to a 6 (Fair) in the 2025 file, the first change to any of its three components in the six years of data we reviewed. View on map →

Clifton Street's bridge, built in 1899 over the combined MBTA/BMRR and Orange Line tracks, carries about 5,900 vehicles a day. Its overall rating has swung between 5 (Fair) and 6 (Fair) over the six years of data we reviewed: 5 in 2020 and 2021, rising to 6 in 2022 and 2023, then back to 5 in 2024 and 2025. The swing traces to the bridge's superstructure component, which briefly rose from 5 to 7 in the 2022 and 2023 files before returning to 5. View on map →

Medford Street's bridge over the Malden River, built in 1976 and owned by the state, carries the heaviest load of the seven — about 32,100 vehicles a day — and has held a 5 (Fair) rating throughout the 2020-2025 period. View on map →

Mountain Avenue's bridge, built in 1890 over the same rail corridor as Clifton Street, carries about 3,000 vehicles a day and has held a steady 6 (Fair) rating since 2020. View on map →

Winter Street's bridge over the MBTA/BMRR line, built in 1976, carries about 6,400 vehicles a day and rated a 5 (Fair) across all six inspection cycles from 2020 to 2025. View on map →

National Bridge Inventory data (which MassDOT feeds) lists bridges over a minimum span, with inspection dates and condition ratings for the deck, superstructure, and substructure.

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nbi.cfm

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nbi/ascii.cfm

We are still learning more about the data recorded by the federal inventory, and welcome corrections or clarifications. Please email us at maldennewsnetwork@gmail.com

Overview & Inventory

Brief introduction to Malden's bridge infrastructure...

Clifton Street

Clifton Street, map view
Clifton Street: map view. Map: Bridge
Clifton Street, satellite view
Clifton Street: satellite view. Map: Bridge

Florence Street

Florence Street, map view
Florence Street: map view. Map: Bridge
Florence Street, satellite view
Florence Street: satellite view. Map: Bridge

Lynn Street

Lynn Street, map view
Lynn Street: map view. Map: Bridge
Lynn Street, satellite view
Lynn Street: satellite view. Map: Bridge

Lynn Street Route 1

Lynn Street Route 1, map view
Lynn Street Route 1: map view. Map: Bridge
Lynn Street Route 1, satellite view
Lynn Street Route 1: satellite view. Map: Bridge

Medford Street

Medford Street, map view
Medford Street: map view. Map: Bridge
Medford Street, satellite view
Medford Street: satellite view. Map: Bridge

Mountain Ave

Mountain Ave, map view
Mountain Ave: map view. Map: Bridge
Mountain Ave, satellite view
Mountain Ave: satellite view. Map: Bridge

Winter Street

Winter Street, map view
Winter Street: map view. Map: Bridge
Winter Street, satellite view
Winter Street: satellite view. Map: Bridge
Performance All Bridges
Performance All Bridges. Map: Bridge
Performance Bridge Performance All
Performance Bridge Performance All. Map: Bridge
Performance Bridges MA
Performance Bridges MA. Map: Bridge
Bridge Data,01
Bridge Data,01. Map: Inventory
Bridge Data,02
Bridge Data,02. Map: Inventory
Bridge Data,03
Bridge Data,03. Map: Inventory

On-Site Photo Inspections

Clifton Street Photos

Florence Street Photos

Medford Street Photos

Mountain Ave Photos

Winter Street Photos

Federal Highway Administration Data & Permits

Notes
  1. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, Massachusetts files for 2020 through 2025 (fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nbi/ascii.cfm), structures coded to Malden (county 017, place 37875). Each rating is the lowest of a bridge's deck, superstructure and substructure ratings (the culvert rating for a culvert) on FHWA's 0-9 scale; FHWA classes 7-9 as Good, 5-6 as Fair and 4 or lower as Poor. Owner, traffic and build-year figures are as reported in the 2025 file. ←
A disclosure: This publication's production pipeline uses AI assistance for research support, drafting, and composition, much as earlier newsrooms relied on word processors, spreadsheets, and databases. Work is developed under editorial supervision, and facts, quotes, and citations are checked against the primary source documents linked in each piece.
Corrections: This piece reflects our understanding of the matter as of publication and is based on public documents. We make reasonable efforts to ensure substantial accuracy. If you believe we've gotten a significant fact wrong, please email us so we can look into it.
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