Northern Avenue Bridge

42°21′16.3″N 71°2′58.0″W

Northern Avenue Bridge against the Boston skyline in 2013

The Northern Avenue Bridge, also known as the Old Northern Avenue Bridge, is a bridge that spans Fort Point Channel Boston, Massachusetts. Built in 1908, it was closed to vehicle traffic in 1997 and operated as a pedestrian bridge until December 2014 when it was closed after inspectors found that thirteen floor beams were unsafe for pedestrians.[1] In an October 26, 2015 letter, the Coast Guard informed the City of Boston that the bridge was a 'hazard to navigation' due to the risk of it falling into the Fort Point Channel and requested removal of its most vulnerable portion.[2] The center span of the truss also carried a single track for the Union Freight Railroad, although it was designed for two tracks.[3] From 1912 to 1948, the bridge abutted a floating firehouse for Engine 44 of the Boston Fire Department.[4] Following its closure as a road bridge, various redevelopment schemes have been proposed for the bridge, as well as outright demolition of the span.[5]

The bridge has been closed to all use since December 2014

Replacement

On January 20, 2016, the Boston Globe reported that the City of Boston will spend $100 million to reopen the bridge, as part of its agreement to bring General Electric's headquarters to the South Boston Waterfront.[6] Two days later, the Globe reported that the bridge would instead be removed, and possibly replaced.[7][8]

The Northern Avenue Bridge in December 2021

Later in the spring, the City of Boston and the Boston Society of Architects sponsored an "ideas competition" for reconstruction or replacement of the bridge.[9][10][11]

In December 2019, city officials announced that the bridge would be rebuilt for use solely by pedestrians and bicyclists.[12]

Updated plans were announced in May 2020; design was expected to be finalized by the end of 2020 and construction to begin in 2021.[13] However, the project was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resignation of Mayor Marty Walsh.[14]

See also

References
  1. Dungca, Nicole (19 December 2014). "City closes Northern Avenue Bridge in South Boston". Boston Globe. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  2. "City plans to start taking down Northern Avenue Bridge in March - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  3. "Northern Avenue Swing Bridge, Spanning Fort Point Channel at boundary between Boston & South Boston, Boston, Suffolk County, MA". Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  4. "NON-EXTANT FORMER FIRE HOUSE 18 Northern Avenue (Northern Avenue Bridge), South Boston Engine Company 44 (Fireboat)". Boston Fire Historical Society. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  5. "Old Northern Ave. Bridge". Architectural Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  6. "The city wants to reopen the Old Northern Avenue Bridge". Boston Globe. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  7. Leung, Shirley (22 January 2016). "City plans to start taking down Northern Avenue Bridge in March - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Boston Globe. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  8. Leung, Shirley. "Can the Northern Avenue Bridge be saved? And at what cost? - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Boston Globe. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  9. "Boston launches ideas competition for new bridge". Bridge Design and Engineering. London: Hemming Group Ltd. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  10. Harris, David L. (2016-05-26). "Here are the winning designs for a revamped Northern Avenue Bridge". Boston Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved 2016-05-27.
  11. Logan, Tim (26 May 2016). "Big ideas (and lots of them) for the Northern Avenue Bridge". Boston Globe. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  12. "City Embraces 'People-First' Design For Northern Ave. Bridge Replacement". StreetsblogMASS. 2019-12-11. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  13. Logan, Tim (May 7, 2020). "City unveils a new Northern Ave. bridge design, Logan to begin work next year". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  14. Chesto, Jon (23 November 2021). "Boston has a stormwater problem". Boston Globe. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
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