Atlantic Avenue (Boston)
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Atlantic Avenue is a street in
downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...
Boston, Massachusetts, partly serving as a
frontage road A frontage road (also known as an access road, outer road, service road, feeder road, or parallel road) is a local road running parallel to a higher-speed, limited-access road. A frontage road is often used to provide access to private drivew ...
for the
underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground (S ...
Central Artery The Central Artery (officially the John F. Fitzgerald Expressway) is a section of freeway in downtown Boston, Massachusetts; it is designated as Interstate 93, US 1 and Route 3. The original Artery, constructed in the 1950s, was named after ...
(
I-93 Interstate 93 (I-93) is an Interstate Highway in the New England states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont in the United States. Spanning approximately along a north–south axis, it is one of three primary Interstate Highways ...
) and partly running along the
Boston Harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeastern United States. History Since ...
. It has a long history, with several relocations along the way.


History

What is now Atlantic Avenue was once part of Broad Street, only existing from the road still known as Broad Street south to
Dewey Square Dewey Square is a square in downtown Boston, Massachusetts which lies at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue, Summer Street, Federal Street, Purchase Street and the John F. Kennedy Surface Road, with the Central Artery (I-93) passing underne ...
(the front of
South Station South Station, officially The Governor Michael S. Dukakis Transportation Center at South Station, is the largest railroad station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston and New England's second-largest transportation center after Logan In ...
. Federal Street (which now only goes north from Dewey Square) continued south from Dewey Square through the current location of South Station to the Federal Street Bridge (now the Dorchester Street Bridge) and on to
South Boston South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. South Boston, colloquially known as Southie, has undergone several demographic transformati ...
and points south. From 1868 to 187

the section north of Broad Street was built, taking it into Commercial Street, with which it formed a waterfront route around the North End, Boston, Massachusetts, North End, and the portion of Broad Street south of the new road was renamed Atlantic Avenue. This new alignment took it across the middle of several former
wharves A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths (mooring location ...
, notably Long Wharf, and the water west of Atlantic Avenue was filled in. 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 ...
was completed in 1872, taking freight between the lines on the north and south sides of downtown, and running along the middle of the full length of Atlantic Avenue. In 1899,
South Station South Station, officially The Governor Michael S. Dukakis Transportation Center at South Station, is the largest railroad station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston and New England's second-largest transportation center after Logan In ...
opened, and as part of that project Federal Street was closed south of
Dewey Square Dewey Square is a square in downtown Boston, Massachusetts which lies at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue, Summer Street, Federal Street, Purchase Street and the John F. Kennedy Surface Road, with the Central Artery (I-93) passing underne ...
, and Atlantic Avenue was extended south along a new alignment on the west side of South Station. The Union Freight Railroad, which had used Federal Street, was also realigned onto the new alignment. Just south of Kneeland Street, the railroad continued straight but Atlantic Avenue had a quick S-curve to shift to the west side of the railroad, where it slowly rose and then turned southeast onto the Atlantic Avenue Viaduct over the full approach to South Station (the
Boston and Albany The Boston and Albany Railroad was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York, later becoming part of the New York Central Railroad system, Conrail, and CSX Transportation. The line is currently used by CSX for freight. Pass ...
and
New York, New Haven and Hartford The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to December 31, 1968. Founded by the merger of ...
railroads), which after crossing the railroads immediately turned back to the south and crossed the
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 ...
. The road ended at the large intersection of Dorchester Avenue, Foundry Street and West First Street, serving the same purpose as Federal Street - taking vehicles to this intersection from
Dewey Square Dewey Square is a square in downtown Boston, Massachusetts which lies at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue, Summer Street, Federal Street, Purchase Street and the John F. Kennedy Surface Road, with the Central Artery (I-93) passing underne ...
. The viaduct was gone by 1923, and Atlantic Avenue was truncated to just south of Kneeland Street at the S-curve. Traffic formerly using Atlantic Avenue to South Boston now used Dorchester Avenue around the east side of South Station, or headed west on Kneeland Street and south on Albany Street to one of the other
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 ...
crossings. The next change happened in the 1950s, when the
Central Artery The Central Artery (officially the John F. Fitzgerald Expressway) is a section of freeway in downtown Boston, Massachusetts; it is designated as Interstate 93, US 1 and Route 3. The original Artery, constructed in the 1950s, was named after ...
(now
I-93 Interstate 93 (I-93) is an Interstate Highway in the New England states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont in the United States. Spanning approximately along a north–south axis, it is one of three primary Interstate Highways ...
) was built. From Broad and High Streets south to
Dewey Square Dewey Square is a square in downtown Boston, Massachusetts which lies at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue, Summer Street, Federal Street, Purchase Street and the John F. Kennedy Surface Road, with the Central Artery (I-93) passing underne ...
, Atlantic Avenue was made one-way northbound as a
frontage road A frontage road (also known as an access road, outer road, service road, feeder road, or parallel road) is a local road running parallel to a higher-speed, limited-access road. A frontage road is often used to provide access to private drivew ...
for the Artery, with southbound traffic using Purchase Street on the other side of the Artery. Atlantic Avenue was kept two-way south of Dewey Square, where through traffic used the
Surface Artery A surface, as the term is most generally used, is the outermost or uppermost layer of a physical object or space. It is the portion or region of the object that can first be perceived by an observer using the senses of sight and touch, and is t ...
. 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 ...
was abandoned in 1970, removing tracks from the center of Atlantic Avenue. Soon after, the road was realigned inland from Broad and High Streets most of the way to its north end, where it turned northeast and returned to its original alignment for the final block to Commercial Street, roughly along the old
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and
Richmond Street Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a ...
s. A short section of Old Atlantic Avenue exists in the original location between
Milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. Immune factors and immune ...
and State Streets. When the
Big Dig The Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T Project), commonly known as the Big Dig, was a megaproject in Boston that rerouted the Central Artery of Interstate 93 (I-93), the chief highway through the heart of the city, into the 1.5-mile (2.4& ...
put the Artery underground in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the full section along the Artery, as well as the southern end, was converted to one-way northbound, with southbound traffic on the other side, known in sections as Surface Artery, Purchase Street and again Surface Artery. The new northbound tunnel was built under Atlantic Avenue south of
Dewey Square Dewey Square is a square in downtown Boston, Massachusetts which lies at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue, Summer Street, Federal Street, Purchase Street and the John F. Kennedy Surface Road, with the Central Artery (I-93) passing underne ...
. Only the part curving away from the Artery to end at Commercial Street remained two-way. South of Kneeland Street, a ramp from the northbound Artery and its frontage road joins the intersection of Kneeland Street and Atlantic Avenue.


Railroads and other transportation

By 1871, the
Dorchester Avenue Railroad The Dorchester Railroad and Dorchester Extension Railroad was a horse car line in Boston, Massachusetts in the late 19th century, running from downtown south to Milton, mostly via Dorchester Avenue (the old Dorchester Turnpike). For several yea ...
ran along Atlantic Avenue south of Broad Street (still called Broad Street at the time) as part of its route between downtown and Dorchester. However, 1872 and 1874 maps show these tracks removed in favor of tracks along Beach Street. An 1888 map appears to show tracks again, along the full length of Atlantic Avenue (ending at the Commercial Street merge), and an 1897 map shows tracks not only on all of Atlantic Avenue but also on Commercial Street towards
North Station North Station is a commuter rail and intercity rail terminal station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is served by four MBTA Commuter Rail lines – the Fitchburg Line, Haverhill Line, Lowell Line, and Newburyport/Rockport Line – and the Amtrak ...
. In 1872, 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 ...
was built along Atlantic Avenue, connecting freight lines on both sides of downtown. It was removed in 1970. The 1899 extension of Atlantic Avenue also resulted in a realignment of the railroad. From 1901 to 1938 (torn down in the early 1940s), the
Atlantic Avenue Elevated The Atlantic Avenue Elevated was an elevated railway around the east side of Downtown Boston, Massachusetts, providing a second route for the Boston Elevated Railway's Main Line Elevated (now the MBTA's Orange Line) around the Washington Street ...
carried passengers above Atlantic Avenue north of Beach Street. By 1925, all streetcar tracks had been removed from the central part of downtown, and tracks along Atlantic Avenue north of Summer Street (
Dewey Square Dewey Square is a square in downtown Boston, Massachusetts which lies at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue, Summer Street, Federal Street, Purchase Street and the John F. Kennedy Surface Road, with the Central Artery (I-93) passing underne ...
) took streetcars around downtown. These too were gone by 1953.
Buse Buse is a feminine given first name in Turkey, meaning "kiss" in Persian (بوسه) and Turkish, and a surname in other languages, and may refer to: Given name * Buse Arıkazan (born 1994), Turkish pole vaulters * Buse Güngör (born 1994), Turk ...
s on the 6
South Station South Station, officially The Governor Michael S. Dukakis Transportation Center at South Station, is the largest railroad station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston and New England's second-largest transportation center after Logan In ...
- Haymarket Station via North End, Boston, Massachusetts, North End route now use the full length of Atlantic Avenue (northbound only along the
Big Dig The Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T Project), commonly known as the Big Dig, was a megaproject in Boston that rerouted the Central Artery of Interstate 93 (I-93), the chief highway through the heart of the city, into the 1.5-mile (2.4& ...
). None of Atlantic Avenue has ever been part of a numbered
state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...
,
U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
or
Interstate The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...
route.


See also

*
India Wharf India Wharf (1804-c. 1962) in Boston, Massachusetts, flourished in the 19th century, when it was one of the largest commercial wharves in the port. The structure began in 1804 to accommodate international trade at a time when several other improve ...
*
Rose Kennedy Greenway The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway is a linear park located in several Downtown Boston neighborhoods. It consists of landscaped gardens, promenades, plazas, fountains, art, and specialty lighting systems that stretch over one mile through China ...
*
Rowes Wharf The current incarnation of Rowes Wharf (built 1987) is a modern development in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It is best known for the Boston Harbor Hotel's multi-story arch over the wide public plaza between Atlantic Avenue and the Boston Harb ...
*
South Station South Station, officially The Governor Michael S. Dukakis Transportation Center at South Station, is the largest railroad station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston and New England's second-largest transportation center after Logan In ...


External links


The Boston Atlas
(
Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
) {{Streets and squares in Boston Streets in Boston Financial District, Boston