Massachusetts General Laws Part I. Administration of the Government (Ch. 1-182) Ch. 159, § 83

Every railroad corporation and railway company shall, upon request of the department, and at least once in two years, cause an examination of its tracks and roadbed and of its tunnels and bridges and of the approaches thereto to be made by a competent engineer, who shall report the result of his examination, his conclusions and recommendations to the corporation or company, and it shall forthwith transmit a copy of the report to the department. Before a railway company builds a bridge, it shall first submit the plans thereof to the department for approval. Upon the completion of a new bridge, the railroad corporation or railway company shall forthwith cause such examination and report to be made and transmitted to the department. The report shall furnish such information, in such detail and with such drawings or prints, as may be requested in writing by the department. The department may make further examination of the bridge structure if necessary or expedient. This section shall not exempt a corporation from making other and more frequent examination of its bridges and the approaches thereto.