Zakim Bridge, Sept 2001

The Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge across the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts. It is a replacement for the Charlestown High Bridge, an older truss bridge constructed in the 1950s, and is the world's widest cable-stayed bridge. (continued below)

Zakim Bridge, July 2009

as seen from Causeway Street near North Station.

The main portion of the Zakim Bridge carries four lanes each northbound and southbound of the Interstate 93 and U.S. Route 1 concurrency between the Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill Jr. Tunnel and the elevated highway to the north. Two additional lanes are cantilevered outside the cables, which carry northbound traffic from the Sumner Tunnel and North End on-ramp. These lanes merge with the main highway north of the bridge. I-93 heads toward New Hampshire as the "Northern Expressway" and US 1 splits from the Interstate and travels northeast toward Massachusetts' north shore, crossing the Mystic River via the Tobin Bridge.

The bridge and connecting tunnel were built as part of the Big Dig, the largest highway construction project in the United States. Finished in 2003, the bridge's unique styling quickly became an icon for Boston, often featured in the backdrop of national news channels to establish location, and included on tourist souvenirs. The bridge is commonly referred to as the "Zakim Bridge" and as the "Bunker Hill Bridge" by residents of nearby Charlestown.

Zakim Bridge, July 2009

as seen from Causeway Street near North Station.

The Charles River Bridge is a railway drawbridge across the Charles River that connects North Station in Boston, Massachusetts to MBTA Commuter Rail lines north of Boston. Oct 2011

Boston University Bridge

The Boston University Bridge, originally the Cottage Farm Bridge, is a bridge carrying Route 2 over the Charles River connecting Boston to Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is named for Boston University, which lies at the south end of the bridge. It was built in 1927, on a design by Andrew Canzanelli. Canzanelli designed the Weeks footbridge and the first shell constructed on the Esplanade. The bridge crosses diagonally over an older bridge carrying the CSX Transportation Grand Junction Line.

Photo 30, 19 Feb

The Longfellow Bridge, 1976

Also known to locals as the "Salt and Pepper Bridge" or the "Salt and Pepper Shaker Bridge", carries Route 3 and the MBTA's Red Line across the Charles River to connect Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood with the Kendall Square area of Cambridge, Massachusetts. A portion of the elevated Charles/MGH train station also rests upon the southern end of the bridge. The bridge is owned by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. For some reason, the upstream sidewalks are narrower than the downstream. According to the Boston Herald, the bridge carries roughly 50,000 cars and 100,000 Red Line passengers every day.

The bridge structure was built on the site of the 1793 West Boston Bridge and was originally known as the Cambridge Bridge, but was renamed for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Willam Jackson served as chief engineer and Edmund M. Wheelwright as architect. Wheelwright was inspired by the 1893 Columbian Exposition and was trying to rival the great bridges of Europe. The bridge opened on August 3, 1906, and consists of 11 steel arch spans on masonry piers. The bridge has a total length of 1,768 feet and supports road, subway, and pedestrian traffic.

The Longfellow Bridge, Sept 2001

Note Zachim Bridge in backbround

The Longfellow Bridge 2011

Also known to locals as the "Salt and Pepper Bridge" or the "Salt and Pepper Shaker Bridge", carries Route 3 and the MBTA's Red Line across the Charles River to connect Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood with the Kendall Square area of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Photo 03

The Longfellow Bridge 2011

Photo 06

The Longfellow Bridge 2011

Showing the badly rusted condition of the bridge and a DUKW boat heading underneith.

Photo 10

Charlestown Bridge with Zakim Bridge behind it

The Charlestown Bridge is the easternmost bridge on the Charles River in Boston. The bridge formerly carried the southernmost stretch of Massachusetts Route 99, which now ends at Chelsea Street in Charlestown. It connects to Joe Tecce Way to the south and to Rutherford Avenue to the north. The bridge is also part of Boston's Freedom Trail. It is also called the North Washington Street bridge.

Mass Ave. Bridge, 1976

The Harvard Bridge (also known locally as the "M.I.T. bridge" or the "Mass. Ave. Bridge") carries Massachusetts Avenue (Route 2A) from Back Bay, Boston to Cambridge. It is the longest bridge over the Charles River.

Harvard Bridge 2011

The Harvard Bridge (also known locally as the "M.I.T. bridge" or the "Mass. Ave. Bridge") carries Massachusetts Avenue (Route 2A) from Back Bay, Boston to Cambridge. It is the longest bridge over the Charles River.

Photo 02

Tobin Bridge, Sept 2001

The Maurice J. Tobin Memorial Bridge (formerly and still sometimes referred to as the Mystic River Bridge or less often the Mystic/Tobin bridge) is a cantilever truss bridge that spans more than two miles from Charlestown to Chelsea over the Mystic River in Massachusetts. The bridge is the largest in New England. (continued below)

Tobin Bridge, July 2009

It is operated by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and carries U.S. Route 1. It was erected between 1948 and 1950 and opened to traffic on February 2, 1950, replacing the former Chelsea Street Bridge. The 36-foot wide roadway has three lanes of traffic on each of the two levels with Northbound traffic on the lower level and Southbound traffic on the upper level.

The bridge is a three-span cantilevered truss bridge at 1,525 ft (465 m) in total length. The center span is longest at 800 ft and the maximum truss height is 115 ft. There are 36 approach spans to the North and 32 to the South. The roadway is seven lanes wide between the shortest (439 ft) span and the center to accommodate a toll plaza on the Southbound deck only. The Northbound toll plaza was closed in the 1980s.

Tobin Bridge, July 2009

Tobin Bridge, July 2009

Northern Avenue Bridge, July 2009

Northern Avenue Bridge (Swing Bridge) over Fort Point Channel in Boston (1908 steel truss)

Northern Avenue Bridge, July 2009

Northern Avenue Bridge (Swing Bridge) over Fort Point Channel in Boston (1908 steel truss)

Seaport Blvd Bridge over Fort Point Channel in front of Northern Avenue Bridge. The latter is derelict and used only for pedrestian traffic.

Photo 99

Seaport Blvd Brdge over Fort Point Channel

Photo 05

Congress St Bridge over Fort Point Channel, near Children's Museum

Photo 96

Congress St Brdge over Fort Point Channel, near Children's Museum

Photo 97

Summer St Brdge over Fort Point Channel, Near South Station

Photo 98

Craigie Drawbridge, Old Charles River Locks

Closeup of Craigie Drawbridge (in green and black)

The Craigie Dam and Craigie Drawbridge carry McGrath O’Brien Highway (Route 28) between Land Blvd. in Cambridge and Leverett Circle in Boston. New in 2011, the drawbridge replaced The old bridge which was constructed in 1910, along with the dam that turned the lower Charles River from a tidal estuary into a fresh-water basin.

A new dam and set of locks were built in 1978 downstream from the old locks and dam, replacing those built in 1910. The Museum of Science sits on the old dam.

Photo 24d

Long Island Bridge, July 2007

Long Island is situated in the middle of Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. The island is part of the City of Boston, and of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. Access to the island is via a road over a 4,175-foot causeway from the Squantum peninsula of North Quincy to Moon Island, and from there, over a 3,050-foof two-lane steel bridge from Moon Island to Long Island. The bridge is officially called the Long Island Viaduct. The island is 1.75 miles long and covers 225 acres.