I'm a "recovering" highway engineer (now retired), and we always depended on landscape architects to do the landscape design. I will be curious to see how the landscaping on the N Washington St Bridge actually turns out and survives (or not).
As a structural engineer, there’s nothing I hate more than planters on concrete! They always hold water and often it has nowhere to go but through the concrete, leading to expensive repairs over time.
I am close to ignorant on both the subject of landscaping and highway engineering, but can't concrete planters be designed with drainage? And if so, why would they not be built that way?
They are always designed with drains and sub drains (at least it would be crazy not to). The problem is often the drainage path. Long-term concrete deflections can sometimes counteract that path, leading to ponding. This can of course be prevented with meticulous design and construction oversight, but it’s still difficult. The drain can also of course become clogged, and it’s usually not easy to unclog. Another thing is that concrete planters and saturated soil are very heavy, so a much greater stress is being applied to the slab underneath. Waterproofing also doesn’t last forever, so chips and it or roots can break it open, leaving the bare concrete exposed.
mass.streetsblog.org
December 9th, 2023 will be the migration day to eastern side of the new bridge.
Traffic and construction updates - North Washington Street Bridge Project
Overview of construction operations and impacts for the North Washington Street Bridge Replacement Project.www.mass.gov
EDIT: New article just dropped!!!
New North Washington Street Bridge Will Partially Open In December - Streetsblog Massachusetts
A construction project that has dragged on longer the entire existence of Streetsblog Massachusetts is reaching a major milestone next month, when traffic between the North End and Charlestown will start using part of the new North Washington Street Bridge. For four years now, all bridge traffic...
Wow, you really went to town tonight, BeeLine.
Boston is harsh on plants, and this bridge is in an area exposed to high winds and also one that really isn't that attractive to walk over (the harbor is wide open here and the waterfront is sort of post-industrial and po-mo condo. It's not cozy or nice, and given the fact that half the year the plants will be leafless anyway, I would suggest...
New Eng-Bland
Yeah and I get that one could make a case to do that but I still think a bright primary color would be better—esp for Boston.
Because evergreen trees (vs shrubs) are more difficult to manage over time. They are not as well prunable and contained as deciduous trees.
I personally prefer deciduous trees over firs, especially for landscaping public spaces in Boston . They look beautiful in the Fall and just seem to be so iconic a part of New England. I planted a sugar maple and a columnar maple in my front yard 26 years ago, and even though collecting all the leaves from them every Fall is loads of work, I love them being there.
