Boston Public Works has released image renderings for the long awaited reconstruction of the North Washington Street Bridge, also known as the Charlestown Bridge. The design takes strong cues from the neighboring Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge.
The bridge connects the North End and downtown Boston to Charlestown, creating an important connection for commuters. In addition, it forms a major pedestrian path along the Freedom Trail.
The new span will be multimodal, allowing expanded space for bicycles and pedestrians. A special feature is to have landscaped viewing areas. Public Works has also indicated the possibility of renaming the new bridge to something more creative.
The new bridge will have two travel lanes in each direction. During construction, the bridge will remain partially open (2 lanes inbound, 1 lane outbound). The new structure will have new supports built up from the harbor and a concrete underside that looks similar to that below the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge.
Construction is expected to begin in 2016 and take approximately four years, including the rework of gas lines and utilities that currently span the bridge. Most of the $100 million price tag is coming from Federal highway funds with the balance from the state.
More information and design views are included in the latest presentation shown below.
I like the grittiness of the present bridge but it looks like this will be a definite improvement. I’d like the bicycle lanes to be wider. There will be more bikes out on the roads in the future. A semi-protected resting place, probably about mid-span, would be good too.
stunning , can’t wait , NOTHING NEEDS TO BE CHANGED!
Beautiful plans. But using only one outbound lane will affect the commute home to Charlestown greatly. This would entirely clog the area for blocks in all approaching directions at rush hour, backing up traffic all along the Greenway, in front of the Garden, along the harbor in the North End. Seems two outbound lanes and one in bound – would encourage out of town drivers to use 93 to access the city.
The bridge design by Architect Miguel Rosales includes two lanes in each direction with 12′ wide sidewalk and 7′ wide cycle track lanes separated from the vehicular traffic with a planted median. Also included are curved overlooks at the center span with seating, a shade structure and plantings. Users will enjoy beautiful views of the harbor and the city.
Transit priority NEEDS to be added to this project, with a third lane if necessary (inbound especially). Currently there are 33,000 daily vehicles across this bridge, and 20,000 transit riders on 5 bus routes. We shouldn’t make transit riders sit in traffic when they account for nearly half of the vehicles crossing the bridge.
The new bridge design is great, although I hope the landscaped areas can be expanded and have vines growing up into the arched trellises…. Meanwhile, the old bridge could be useful if the city decides to restore the vintage 1908 Northern Avenue Bridge over Fort Point Channel -a prospect now under examination. Given that both old bridges were designed with interchangeable parts, the city could store components of the Charlestown span for maintaining the Fort Point crossing. Niiiiice!~…..
Trees on a bridge? This new design is ugly and generic. Nothing about it says Boston.
what is the height of the north washington st bridge feet above sea level boston