MassDOT officials inspect Athol bridge hit by ice jams

ATHOL, Mass. — State officials were in Athol Tuesday inspecting a bridge damaged by ice jams. The town asked the state for help inspecting it after some people were evacuated.

Town officials are not as concerned about the snow coming. They are more concerned about what's coming after that.  The warm temperatures that could cause the ice to start moving again.

Massachusetts Department of Transportation inspectors climbed down onto the river's edge to the get a close look at the Exchange Street Bridge in Athol.

The Millers River has been jamming up with ice in several areas. The warm temperatures going into last weekend, coupled with heavy rain caused the ice to break up and start rushing downstream.

The ice ripped off several brackets that secure the water main that runs under the bridge.

“If you look at them, they are five feet tall, steel structures and they were torn from the bridge so it really was an incredible force of nature,” Athol Town Manager Shaun Suhoski told Boston 25 News.

The town immediately shut down the bridge and evacuated more than 20 people from an apartment complex downstream

“When the ice let go from here it brought massive shards, chunks of ice that are dangerous,” Suhoski explained.

MassDOT spent several hours looking at the integrity of the bridge.

They are still working with the town to determine if it can open or if there needs to be restricted traffic on it.

MORE: Housing complex in Athol evacuated after ice jam leads to high water

Associated Press