Chelsea Street Bridge - East Boston

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EarthRockHill

Guest
Since February 2010 I have been following the construction of the new Chelsea Street Bridge that spans the Chelsea River/Creek from Chelsea to East Boston.

This is a MassDOT/City of Boston owned bridge.

The original (now demolished) single leaf truss thru bascule bridge is being replaced with a 450 foot span center lift bridge with 175 ft of vertical clearance.

I am an independent photographer that is officially shooting the project with stills, video and time-lapse for J.F. White Contracting Co.

In addition to 1000's of images I also have a number of videos showing the construction of the new bridge.

Here are a few.


Chelsea Street Bridge Tower Lift


Chelsea Street Bridge - Sheave Lift

The Last Ride of the Old Chelsea Street Bridge


Website: Earth Rock Hill - Historical Services

Youtube: SSDPHOTO - History in the Making

Vimeo: The Wrecking Machine
 
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This is awesome!

Welcome to aB, and thank you for sharing. :)
 
BostonUrbEx said:
This is awesome!

Welcome to aB, and thank you for sharing. :)
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Sure thing. Stumbled across your forum and happy to have joined! Lots to show as I have been a part of the building of Boston for over 20 years.
 
Great post!

I love the new bridge, and drive past it on the way home every night. The only thing that bothers me about it is the white paint. I thought it was primer, but I asked someone close to the project, and was told it's the final color. Why not the standard forest green, like the Tobin, or the little bascule bridge that's being replaced? Bridges are landmarks -- they should stand out.
 
Beton Brut said:
Great post!

I love the new bridge, and drive past it on the way home every night. The only thing that bothers me about it is the white paint. I thought it was primer, but I asked someone close to the project, and was told it's the final color. Why not the standard forest green, like the Tobin, or the little bascule bridge that's being replaced? Bridges are landmarks -- they should stand out.
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Doesn't white stand out? Forest green wouldn't stand out much.

I'm guessing they picked white so it would be visible with the airport so close. Just speculating...
 
BostonUrbEx said:
Doesn't white stand out? Forest green wouldn't stand out much.

I'm guessing they picked white so it would be visible with the airport so close. Just speculating...
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Most modern bridges these days are white / gray / natural steel. Its highly visible, clean and showcases the structure better.

Most green painted bridges were painted that way to match the existing green of foliage and shrubs nearby.
BostonUrbEx has a point that is it probably better visually since its so close to the airport. Besides would you really want 20 stories of steel painted green?

The Golden Gate Bridge for example is painted International Orange which closest variants are PMS 173 and Pantone 180.
It was painted this color because it blends well with the span's natural setting as it is a warm color consistent with the warm colors of the land masses in the setting as distinct from the cool colors of the sky and sea.
 
Thanks so much for posting these videos. Most of us would never be able to see construction that close. It makes you appreciate how dangerous it is to be a construction worker.
 
EarthRockHill said:
Most modern bridges these days are white / gray / natural steel. Its highly visible, clean and showcases the structure better.

BostonUrbEx has a point that is it probably better visually since its so close to the airport.
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Thanks for the insight. The white is highly visible under most circumstances, but I'd think the color would create a navigation hazard in fog or heavy rain or snow.

EarthRockHill said:
Besides would you really want 20 stories of steel painted green?
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Absolutely - I see white, and think ahead ten years, and see rust. Black or dark blue would also work. Even the dark bronze color of the numerous bascule bridges across the Chicago river would work.

After all, it's a big machine - a darker color would acknowledge this. There's something undeniably totemic about cranes, blast furnaces, smoke stacks, antennae and so on...
 
Beton Brut said:
Thanks for the insight. The white is highly visible under most circumstances, but I'd think the color would create a navigation hazard in fog or heavy rain or snow.



Absolutely - I see white, and think ahead ten years, and see rust. Black or dark blue would also work. Even the dark bronze color of the numerous bascule bridges across the Chicago river would work.

After all, it's a big machine - a darker color would acknowledge this. There's something undeniably totemic about cranes, blast furnaces, smoke stacks, antennae and so on...
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Its not just white paint. Its a special epoxy coating. Look back and look at the terms navigation hazard. 22 stories high, dark blue or black so close to the airport would become the biggest hazard to incoming and outgoing planes. White has the highest reflectivity value. In heavy fog or snow air-traffic will be at a minimum and redirected to land over the water rather than over land.

Lets talk in 10 years and see how it looks.
 
It's a shame the bridge replacement took a decande to actually get done...it was supposed to have started in 2000/2001 after the Meridian Street Bridge got its renovation.
 
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