Charlestown Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Charlestown Bridge |
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Charlestown Bridge, looking north. The red line on the pavement indicates the Freedom Trail.
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| Coordinates | 42°22′08″N 71°03′36″W / 42.36889°N 71.06000°W |
| Carries | North Washington Street |
| Crosses | Charles River |
| Locale | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Official name | North Washington Street Bridge |
| Maintained by | City of Boston |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Plate girder bridge approaches, with truss swing span |
| Total length | 1,089 ft (332 m) |
| Width | 66 ft (20 m) |
| Number of spans | One (241.2 ft (73.5 m)) |
| History | |
| Designer | William Jackson |
| Construction begin | 1898 |
| Construction end | 1900 |
| Opened | 1900 |
| Replaces | Charles River Bridge (1786) |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 38,400 cars/day (2010) |
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The Charlestown Bridge, also known as the North Washington Street Bridge, is a bridge in Boston, Massachusetts. It crosses the Charles River, connecting the neighborhoods of Charlestown and the North End. This bridge is the easternmost crossing over the river.
The bridge was finished in 1900. It is part of the famous Freedom Trail, a path that leads to important historical sites like the USS Constitution ship and the Bunker Hill Monument. North of the bridge, Route 99 begins, and the street changes its name to New Rutherford Avenue.
A new bridge is being built to replace the old one. This work started in late 2018 and is expected to be finished in 2023.
Contents
History of the Bridge
Early Crossings and Ferries
The first official way to cross the Charles River at this spot was a ferry. It started in the 1630s. Different people ran the ferry until 1640, when it was given to Harvard College forever. The money earned from the ferry helped support the college. Harvard College managed this ferry from the 1640s until 1785.
The First Bridge and a Lawsuit
The first bridge built here was called the Charles River Bridge. It was approved in 1785 and opened on June 17, 1786. As part of the deal to build the bridge, Harvard College received £200 each year. This money made up for the income they lost from the ferry. Private companies built and ran this bridge, and they made money from tolls (fees to cross).
In 1792, another bridge, the West Boston Bridge, was approved. It connected West Boston to Cambridge. To make up for this new competition, the government allowed the Charles River Bridge to collect tolls for 30 more years. However, they stopped charging double tolls on Sundays, which people didn't like. The Medford Turnpike, built in 1803, made it easier for people to reach the bridge.
Later, in 1828, the Warren Bridge was approved very close to the Charles River Bridge. The companies that owned the Charles River Bridge sued. This big legal fight went all the way to the highest court in the country, the U.S. Supreme Court. The case was known as Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge.
The Current Bridge's Story
The bridge we see today was built in 1900. The main engineer was William Jackson. It was designed to carry both cars and the Charlestown Elevated railway, which was an elevated train line.
However, the elevated railway was taken down in 1975. A new train line, the MBTA Orange Line's Haymarket North Extension, replaced it. The new Orange Line was moved underground into the Haymarket Tunnel. This tunnel comes out from under North Station and the Charles River, just south of the new Orange Line Community College station. The Orange Line trains started using this tunnel in 1975. Because the bridge was originally built to hold a heavy elevated train, it is wide enough for six lanes of traffic.
The bridge used to carry the southern end of Massachusetts Route 99. But after the Big Dig project finished in the late 2000s, the route's end was changed to Chelsea Street in Charlestown.
A New Bridge is Coming
Since 2003, the Charlestown Bridge has been considered not strong enough anymore. The two middle lanes were closed permanently. Work on building a new bridge started in the fall of 2018.
The new bridge was designed by architect Miguel Rosales and Alfred Benesch & Co. It is meant to look good next to the nearby Zakim Bridge, which Rosales also helped design. The new bridge will have two lanes for cars in each direction. It will also have a special lane just for buses going south, and safe paths for bikes and people walking on each side. While the new bridge is being built, a temporary bridge is planned to carry people walking and three lanes of car traffic.
Gallery
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Bridge and Elevated Railway (1912)
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Bridge and approaches, with Charlestown in the background
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The former trackbed of the Charlestown Elevated railway can still be seen in the bridge superstructure.
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View towards downtown Boston and the Custom House Tower
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Bridge approaches looking into downtown Boston
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Bus 111 on the bridge
Images for kids
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Construction of the new bridge in 2019
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Charlestown Bridge, looking north. The red line on the pavement indicates the Freedom Trail.
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