Northern Avenue Bridge Fort Point Channel

sm89 said:
Why are they so eager to open it back up to cars? They built the Seaport Blvd Bridge right next to it and it has plenty of extra capacity. Keep the Northern Ave bridge for bikes and peds.
Click to expand...

To show that they're doing something about the auto congestion in the Seaport. It's not going to help, but it's political.
 
BussesAin'tTrains said:
To show that they're doing something about the auto congestion in the Seaport. It's not going to help, but it's political.
Click to expand...

It would very likely make things worse. But that Charlestown Bridge video is pretty cool.
 
HenryAlan said:
It would very likely make things worse.
Click to expand...

Definitely, due to where Northern Ave would dump out all those cars. I don't think anyone is actually thinking of the impacts though, it seems to be a gut reaction such as "THERE'S TOO MUCH TRAFFIC! LOOK THERE'S A BRIDGE WE'RE NOT USING! LET'S USE IT!"
 
I was told that the main reason the city wants to open the Northern Ave Bridge for traffic is that the Feds will only fund it if they do that. And Boston doesn't want to pay to rehab it by itself.
 
BussesAin'tTrains said:
Definitely, due to where Northern Ave would dump out all those cars. I don't think anyone is actually thinking of the impacts though, it seems to be a gut reaction such as "THERE'S TOO MUCH TRAFFIC! LOOK THERE'S A BRIDGE WE'RE NOT USING! LET'S USE IT!"
Click to expand...

Agreed. I'm significantly more pro-car than a lot of people on this forum, and this would be pointless and probably make traffic worse.

That said, if it not being for cars is the hold-up for funding, I wonder if you can just pay lip-service to it. One lane out of the Seaport, right turn only onto Atlantic shouldn't really do much or be of use to many people.
 
If it truly is about getting Federal funding then the lip service makes more sense. What you're proposing would probably produce the best outcomes if auto traffic is inevitable.
 
BussesAin'tTrains said:
If it truly is about getting Federal funding then the lip service makes more sense. What you're proposing would probably produce the best outcomes if auto traffic is inevitable.
Click to expand...

One could always open it to auto traffic, then after completed, "reconsider" the decision ... hummmm....
 
The deck must be unsafe.

DQjuoTv.png
 
Last edited:
Looks like they are going to keep the bridge in the open position (to boat traffic) for the winter.


https://www.flickr.com/photos/beelinebos/16257823275/


https://www.flickr.com/photos/beelinebos/16071963787/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/beelinebos/16260335635/
Why don't they demolish this thing and replace with a pedestrian/bike bridge like the one at Charles River Park (Northpoint)? I should think they could use the current bridge pillings and make it so it has the same clearence as the Moakley bridge. I think they are smoking "something" if they want to replace it with another autocentric bridge. That will not help solve the traffic problem in the Seaport (IMO).
 
Last edited:
There's really no excuse for this. It's just like the Long Island Bridge and the Sullivan Sq Overpass. I don't know why everyone's so surprised when these things deteriorate and are suddenly torn down with no mitigation. They do nothing to keep them maintained. For Long Island, they scrambled and spent millions relocating the homeless, renovating buildings, and shuffling around BTD. For Sullivan Sq, I honestly wonder if the traffic woes faced today would even exist had the overpass been replaced or repaired.

In retrospect though, a multimillion dollar bridge connecting a small island to the mainland is silly, and Sullivan Sq needed a push to become more multi-modal.
 
^....good government should mean looking at the balance sheet, not just the income statement. If only....
 
I'm quite surprised that this bridge was not condemned years ago! :eek:
 
Re: Seaport Square (Formerly McCourt Seaport Parcels)

As if someone listened... from the Boston Herald


[

Panel backs rehab of Seaport bridge

A city advisory panel that overwhelmingly recommended an estimated $44 million to $49 million rehab and modernization of Boston’s Old Northern Avenue Bridge is awaiting Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s response about the city’s plans.

The panel in March told the mayor it favored keeping intact the historic elements of the 107-year-old, triple-barreled truss swing bridge while making upgrades for pedestrian, bike and limited vehicle access.

The bridge over the Fort Point Channel connected the Seaport and Financial districts for walkers and bikers before the city closed it in December, citing “deterioration beyond repair.” It’s been closed to vehicles since 1997.

Walsh is working on securing public and private funding for the bridge, according to a spokeswoman. “The mayor is committed to rebuilding the Northern Ave Bridge to include pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular traffic,” spokeswoman Bonnie McGilpin said. “The mayor is currently reviewing several options to rebuild the bridge ... to determine the most cost-efficient option.”

In January, the city gave the advisory panel swing- and fixed-bridge options to consider with estimated $30 million to $70 million price tags.

“It wasn’t unanimous, but there was overwhelming support for fixing the bridge that is there,” said Greg Galer, executive director of the Boston Preservation Alliance. “That’s a character-defining aspect of the whole Fort Point District.”

And there’s ample precedent for public/private funding of similar projects, said Mike Tyrrell of the Friends of the Northern Avenue Bridge. “A preservation might be a fiscally practicable and even responsible approach given Boston’s tradition for preservation,” he said.
/QUOTE]
Click to expand...
 
Re: Seaport Square (Formerly McCourt Seaport Parcels)

49 million is a lot of money... I like that bridge a lot, but how much more cost effective would it be to put down a simple cement causeway instead? Factor in long term maintenance costs too
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top