Concrete chunks fall from Pike bridge in Southboro

SOUTHBORO, Mass. -- Chunks of concrete fell from the Massachusetts Turnpike overpass in Southboro on Wednesday.

The brick-sized pieces fell to Route 85 below, breaking apart into smaller pieces on impact.

“I saw a lot of traffic backed up, and there was some concrete, chunks of concrete in the roadway,” said Glenn Galvin, a witness.

Galvin was walking along Cordaville Road when he noticed the chunks of concrete.

Department of Transportation officials said at around 5:30 p.m., several pieces from the underside of the turnpike bridge fell onto the street below.

“A couple of pieces about that big,” said Galvin.

The chunks didn’t hit any cars, and the throughway remained open, but police had to shut down Cordaville Road so the DOT’s bridge team could assess the damage and chip off any loose pieces.

Galvin said he still won’t mind driving down the road, despite the incident.

“I think it was probably just a freak thing. They weren’t real, real big pieces,” said Galvin.

Crews didn’t find any other areas of concern, and because the structural integrity of the bridge was maintained, they were able to reopen the road.

The incident was the third time something like this has happened across the state in the last few weeks.

Last week, emergency repairs had to be made to a bridge in Allston after a hole opened up.

Earlier this month, a sinkhole the size of a car appeared in Medford on I-93 North. Crews made emergency repairs, but a second, smaller hole opened up the next day.

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