Beverly railroad bridge reopens after being hit by barge

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

Engineers made a temporary repair that allowed a railroad bridge in Beverly to reopen this afternoon after it was hit by a barge, restoring service on the Newburyport/Rockport commuter rail line in time for the evening commute.

Thousands of commuters had to find another way to work this morning after the barge filled with dredge hit the bridge that spans the mouth of the Danvers River, connecting Beverly and Salem. The barge, which was being pushed by a 35-foot tug boat owned by construction firm Jay Cashman Inc., struck the bridge at about 4:45 a.m., according to the Coast Guard.

"The bridge is open," said Daniel A. Grabauskas, general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

Trains will have to slow to 10 miles per hour when crossing the bridge while the temporary fix is in place. Engineers plan to shut down the bridge at 7 a.m. Saturday and make the permanent repair. The damage was mechanical and not structural, and the MBTA has replacement parts readily available, Grabauskas said.

On a typical weekday, an average of 9,470 commuters take the Newburyport/Rockport commuter rail line into Boston. Officials had anticipated fewer riders this morning because of the coming holiday.

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