The West Street Bridge, which crosses the Chicopee River to link Ludlow and Springfield, is blocked, according to Ludlow police, after Massachusetts Department of Transportation inspectors requested that it be closed immediately.
The Ludlow Police Department advised drivers to look for other routes in a social media post on Sunday afternoon, as the bridge will be blocked until further notice.
According to Sgt. Brandon Vigneault of Ludlow Police, the department has recently received multiple reports of vehicles bottoming out and sustaining damage to their undercarriages after hitting a bump on the bridge. MassDOT was contacted by the police.
According to Vigneault, MassDOT called Ludlow Police on Sunday after a bridge inspection crew visited the bridge to ask whether they could block it right away.
The bridge was closed for a few weeks in 2023 to replace its corroded steel deck. Officials stated at the time that they were starting to consider replacing the bridge entirely, as it was over 85 years old.
About a mile and a half upstream, where Route 21 crosses Wallamanumps Falls, drivers were instructed to cross the Chicopee River two years ago.
