Wikipedia

Northern Avenue Bridge

The Northern Avenue Bridge is a swing bridge that spans the Fort Point Channel of Boston, Massachusetts.[2] Following its closure as a road bridge in 1997, various redevelopment schemes have been proposed for the bridge, as well as outright demolition of the span.[3]

Northern Avenue Bridge
The bridge in its open position in May 2016
Coordinates42°21′16.3″N 71°2′58.0″W / 42.354528°N 71.049444°W / 42.354528; -71.049444
CarriesNorthern Avenue
CrossesFort Point Channel
LocaleBoston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Official nameNorthern Avenue Swing Bridge
Other name(s)Old Northern Avenue Bridge
OwnerCity of Boston
Maintained byBoston Public Works
Characteristics
DesignPratt truss swing span
MaterialSteel
Total length643 feet (196 m)
Width80 feet (24 m)
Height46 feet (14 m) (above deck)
Longest span283 feet (86 m) (swing span)
Clearance below7 feet (2.1 m) (closed)
unlimited (open)
No. of lanes2
Rail characteristics
No. of tracks1 (circa 1918–1970)
History
DesignerWilliam Jackson, City Engineer
Engineering design byBoston Public Works
Constructed byNew England Structural Company (superstructure), W. H. Ellis Co. (piers & abutments)
Built1905–1908
OpenedOctober 24, 1908 (1908-10-24)
ClosedNovember 1997 (to vehicles)
December 2014 (fully)
Replaced byEvelyn Moakley Bridge
Location
Map
References
[1]

In Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) documentation, the bridge is referred to as the Northern Avenue Swing Bridge.[1] It is sometimes known as the Old Northern Avenue Bridge, as its replacement was briefly known as the New Northern Avenue Bridge before it was officially named the Evelyn Moakley Bridge.[4]

History

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The bridge was constructed from 1905 to 1908,[1] and opened to the public on October 24, 1908.[5] A swing bridge, compressed air was used to rotate the center part of the span to allow water traffic to pass.[6] Boston's city engineer, William Jackson, was the designer.[1] Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) documentation notes that "Some of the operating machinery of the draw span for the Northern Avenue Bridge was identical to that of the Charlestown Bridge when originally constructed."[1] The total length of the bridge is approximately 640 feet (200 m);[6] the moveable center section is approximately 285 feet (87 m) long.

From 1912 to 1948, a firehouse constructed on piers abutted the bridge, serving Fireboat Engine Company 44 of the Boston Fire Department.[7] Historical photos show that the firehouse and berth of the fireboat were located in the channel on the north side of the bridge, located east of the center span.[7] The engine company relocated to the North End in October 1948, and the abandoned firehouse collapsed into the harbor in 1968.[7]

The center span of the truss carried a single track for the Union Freight Railroad, although it was designed for two tracks.[8]

The bridge was closed to vehicle traffic on November 8, 1997,[9] shortly after the Evelyn Moakley Bridge was completed, but remained open as a pedestrian bridge. In December 2014, it was fully closed after inspectors found that 13 floor beams were unsafe for pedestrians.[10]

In a letter dated October 26, 2015, 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.[11][12]

Replacement plans

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On January 20, 2016, Boston.com and The Boston Globe reported that the City of Boston would spend $100 million to reopen the bridge, as part of its agreement to bring General Electric's headquarters to the South Boston Waterfront.[13][14] The following day, the Globe reported that the bridge would instead be removed, and possibly replaced.[11] The Globe also reported that options to save the bridge ranged in cost from $26 million to over $70 million, per the City of Boston.[15]

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.[16][17][18]

In December 2019, city officials announced that the bridge would be rebuilt for use solely by pedestrians and bicyclists.[19] Updated plans were announced in May 2020; design was expected to be finalized by the end of 2020 and construction to begin in 2021.[20] However, the project was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resignation of Mayor Marty Walsh.[21]

Demolition plan

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On November 4, 2024, the City of Boston submitted a Project Notification Form to the Massachusetts Historical Commission setting out its plan to demolish the bridge.[22] The plan calls for the removal of the superstructure and the repair of the piers.[23]

As of March 2025, Boston's public works department "is advancing plans to break it apart and load the pieces onto barges to a waterfront staging area... for disassembly and paint removal."[6] The chief of the Boston Water and Sewer Commission has proposed a movable storm barrier for the site, which might receive federal funding and provide a foundation for a footbridge.[6]

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  •  
    Center lane with railroad tracks visible
  •  
    The bridge in the 1980s
  •  
    Partial view of Northern Avenue Bridge and Evelyn Moakley Bridge in 2008
  •  
    The bridge against the Boston skyline in 2013
  •  
    The bridge in December 2021

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e 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
  2. ^ "Northern Avenue Draw Bridge". Massachusetts Cultural Resources Information System. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  3. ^ "Old Northern Ave. Bridge". ahfboston.com. Architectural Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved December 21, 2014 – via Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ Nichols, Webb (March 2, 1997). "New Northern Avenue Bridge an insult to Boston's beauties". The Boston Globe. p. D3. Retrieved March 25, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Northern Avenue in Use". Boston Evening Transcript. October 24, 1908. p. 1. Retrieved March 25, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b c d Chesto, Jon (March 24, 2025). "The Northern Avenue bridge is finally being demolished. What could replace it?". The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c "NON-EXTANT FORMER FIRE HOUSE 18 Northern Avenue (Northern Avenue Bridge), South Boston Engine Company 44 (Fireboat)". Boston Fire Historical Society. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2014 – via Wayback Machine.
  8. ^ "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 December 21, 2014.
  9. ^ Palmer Jr., Thomas C. (November 10, 1997). "Starts and Stops (column)". The Boston Globe. p. B2. Retrieved March 25, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Dungca, Nicole (December 19, 2014). "City closes Northern Avenue Bridge in South Boston". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
  11. ^ a b Leung, Shirley (January 21, 2016). "Historic Seaport bridge to come down". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  12. ^ Black, B. L. (October 26, 2015). "Letter to Mr. Kevin R. Kotelly, P.E." (PDF). United States Coast Guard. Retrieved March 25, 2025 – via documentcloud.org.
  13. ^ Palma, Kristi (January 20, 2016). "The city wants to reopen the Old Northern Avenue Bridge". Boston.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016 – via Wayback Machine.
  14. ^ Leung, Shirley (January 20, 2016). "Historic waterfront span may be rebuilt". The Boston Globe. p. A1. Retrieved March 25, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Can the Northern Avenue Bridge be saved? And at what cost?". The Boston Globe. January 21, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  16. ^ "Boston launches ideas competition for new bridge". Bridge Design and Engineering. London: Hemming Group Ltd. March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  17. ^ Harris, David L. (May 26, 2016). "Here are the winning designs for a revamped Northern Avenue Bridge". Boston Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  18. ^ Logan, Tim (May 26, 2016). "Big ideas (and lots of them) for the Northern Avenue Bridge". The Boston Globe. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  19. ^ "City Embraces 'People-First' Design For Northern Ave. Bridge Replacement". StreetsblogMASS. December 11, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  20. ^ Logan, Tim (May 7, 2020). "City unveils a new Northern Ave. bridge design, Logan to begin work next year". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  21. ^ Chesto, Jon (November 23, 2021). "Boston has a stormwater problem". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  22. ^ "PNF-Northern Ave Bridge" (PDF). fortpointneighborhood.org. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  23. ^ "Northern Avenue Bridge Advisory". Boston.gov. Retrieved February 1, 2025.

Further reading

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