06/13/2026
Have you been out enjoying the warm weather and taking a stroll through Simpson Park?
If you've noticed the pink markings on the bridge and wondered what they were for, here's the answer!
Last Wednesday, engineers from GPI conducted an evaluation of the historic bridge in Simpson Park off Central Street. The bridge is estimated to be more than 100 years old and once served as an extension of Fenwick Street before the construction of the Massachusetts Turnpike. As no original plans for the bridge are available, the team needed to gather information directly from the structure itself.
GPI utilized Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technology to "see" inside the concrete and identify the location and size of the steel reinforcing bars (rebar) embedded within the bridge. The pink markings indicate areas where the radar scans were conducted.
The information collected will help the City of Framingham accurately assess the bridge's load capacity and ensure it remains safe for pedestrians, maintenance vehicles, and emergency responders for years to come.
To support inclusive access, a series of four photographs documents GPI engineers conducting a structural evaluation of a century-old concrete bridge over a river in a wooded area of Simpson Park are attached to this post. The first image shows three engineers in high-visibility safety vests on the weathered asphalt bridge deck using a wheeled ground penetrating radar (GPR) unit and marking the pavement with pink spray paint. The second image provides a close-up from beneath the bridge, showing an engineer sitting on a floating dock and using a handheld GPR device to scan the flat concrete underside. The third image captures a side profile of the bridge, revealing its concrete spans, central pier, and chain-link railings framed by lush green trees and calm water. The final image shows a low-angle view directly underneath the structure, detailing the parallel concrete support beams, perpendicular diaphragms, and a prominent vertical crack on the face of the concrete pier in the water.
