Summary
42°21′16.3″N 71°2′58.0″W / 42.354528°N 71.049444°W
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]
Replacement edit
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]
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 edit
References edit
- ^ Dungca, Nicole (19 December 2014). "City closes Northern Avenue Bridge in South Boston". Boston Globe. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ "City plans to start taking down Northern Avenue Bridge in March - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Old Northern Ave. Bridge". Architectural Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ "The city wants to reopen the Old Northern Avenue Bridge". Boston Globe. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Leung, Shirley. "Can the Northern Avenue Bridge be saved? And at what cost? - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Boston Globe. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
- ^ "Boston launches ideas competition for new bridge". Bridge Design and Engineering. London: Hemming Group Ltd. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Logan, Tim (26 May 2016). "Big ideas (and lots of them) for the Northern Avenue Bridge". Boston Globe. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
- ^ "City Embraces 'People-First' Design For Northern Ave. Bridge Replacement". StreetsblogMASS. 2019-12-11. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Chesto, Jon (23 November 2021). "Boston has a stormwater problem". Boston Globe. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
External links edit
- City of Boston website about the bridge reconstruction project
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. MA-37, "Northern Avenue Swing Bridge, Spanning Fort Point Channel at boundary between Boston & South Boston, Boston, Suffolk County, MA", 40 photos, 27 data pages, 4 photo caption pages
- Information on the bridge
- Proposals for bridge rehabilitation or outright demolition