Fort Point Channel facts for kids
Fort Point Channel is a waterway in Boston, Massachusetts. It separates South Boston from downtown Boston. This channel flows into Boston Harbor. Long ago, parts of the channel were filled in. This made space for train tracks and highways. The famous Boston Tea Party happened near the northern end of this channel. The area around it is called the Fort Point neighborhood.
The banks of the channel are still very active today. On the west side, south of Summer Street, is a large United States Postal Service building. The Gillette company has a big area at the southeast corner. The back of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston building faces the channel. Another important building, the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse, is on Fan Pier. One of Boston's unique sights, the Hood Milk Bottle, sits right next to the Boston Children's Museum on the channel's edge.
In 2011, Fort Point Pier opened for public use. This is south of the Summer Street Bridge. Before it opened, a part of the channel's seawall was fixed. Now, people can enjoy the channel for fun activities. It is a popular spot for kayaking and standup paddle boarding.
Bridges and Tunnels Across the Channel
Many bridges and tunnels cross Fort Point Channel. Some are still in use, while others are gone. Here are some of them, listed from north to south:
- Northern Avenue Bridge
- Evelyn Moakley Bridge (also known as the New Northern Avenue/Seaport Boulevard Bridge)
- Silver Line tunnel (for public transit)
- Congress Street Bridge, built in 1930. It replaced an older bridge from 1874.
- Summer Street Bridge, built in 1899.
- Fort Point Channel tunnel (for I-90)
- Dorchester Avenue Bridge (used to be called Federal Street Bridge)
- Red Line tunnel (for public transit)
- Broadway Bridge, a new bridge opened in 1999.
The channel ends around the Broadway Bridge. Other bridges further south cross the South Bay Yard.
- West Fourth Street Bridge, built in 1958.
- South Boston Bypass Road
- Massachusetts Avenue
