The Northern Avenue Bridge, also known as the Old Northern Avenue Bridge, is a bridge that spans

Fort Point Channel Fort Point Channel is a maritime channel separating South Boston from downtown Boston, Massachusetts, feeding into Boston Harbor. The south part of it has been gradually filled in for use by the South Bay rail yard and several highways (specif ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. 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. 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. The center span of the truss also carried a single track for the

Union Freight Railroad The Union Freight Railroad was a freight-only railroad connecting the railroads coming into the north and south sides of downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Almost its entire length was along Atlantic Avenue and Commercial Street. For most of it ...

, although it was designed for two tracks. From 1912 to 1948, the bridge abutted a floating firehouse for Engine 44 of the

Boston Fire Department The Boston Fire Department provides fire protection and first responder emergency medical services to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It also responds to such incidents as motor vehicle accidents, hazardous material spills, utility mishaps, ...

. Following its closure as a road bridge, various redevelopment schemes have been proposed for the bridge, as well as outright demolition of the span. Old Northern Avenue Bridge in open position

Old Northern Avenue Bridge in open position

Replacement

On January 20, 2016, the

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

reported that the City of Boston will spend $100 million to reopen the bridge, as part of its agreement to bring

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...

's headquarters to the South Boston Waterfront. Two days later, the Globe reported that the bridge would instead be removed, and possibly replaced. NorthernAvenueBridge

Later in the spring, the City of Boston and the

Boston Society of Architects One of the oldest and largest chapters of the AIA, the Boston Society of Architects (BSA) is a nonprofit membership organization committed to architecture, design and the built environment. History On June 20, 1867, approximately 50 architects co ...

sponsored an "ideas competition" for reconstruction or replacement of the bridge. In December 2019, city officials announced that the bridge would be rebuilt for use solely by pedestrians and bicyclists. Updated plans were announced in May 2020; design was expected to be finalized by the end of 2020 and construction to begin in 2021. However, the project was delayed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

and the resignation of Mayor

Marty Walsh Martin Joseph Walsh (born April 10, 1967) is an American politician and former union official. He has been the 29th United States Secretary of Labor since March 23, 2021. A Democrat, he previously served as the 54th mayor of Boston from 2014, ...

References

External links

City of Boston website about the bridge reconstruction project
*
Information on the bridgeProposals for bridge rehabilitation or outright demolition
{{Authority control Road bridges in Massachusetts Railroad bridges in Massachusetts Bridges in Boston Bridges completed in 1908 Historic American Engineering Record in Massachusetts 1908 establishments in Massachusetts Truss bridges in the United States Metal bridges in the United States

Replacement

See also

References

External links