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Seaport’s Northern Avenue bridge will be demolished. What should replace it?
Although the city has no immediate plans to replace the bridge, some have proposed ideas in its place.
The Northern Avenue bridge over Fort Point Channel is set to be demolished, after “ongoing deterioration.” What should replace it – if anything at all?
The bridge was constructed in the early twentieth century and was closed off to cars in 1997 due to severe deterioration. Afterward, it operated as a bike and pedestrian crossing as part of the Boston Harbor Walk, until pedestrian traffic was closed in 2014 for safety reasons.
In January, the Boston Public Works department submitted a project notification form to the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) to remove the Northern Avenue bridge (called a “superstructure”). The project involves loading sections of the steel bridge onto barges to then be transported for disassembly and paint removal.
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City officials have wrestled with the best way to reinvigorate or replace the bridge over the years. A 2020 proposal under then-mayor Marty Walsh envisioned a two-level promenade to cater to both pedestrians and some vehicle traffic: a lower level for pedestrians and cyclists, with a single bus lane overhead. The city had set aside roughly $100 million for the project, but it was put on hold in December of 2024, at the request of the Massachusetts Historical Commission.
Now that the bridge is set to be demolished, calls for its replacement have been renewed – although the city has no immediate plans to replace it, the Boston Globe reported.
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But that hasn’t stopped some from imagining a potential replacement.
John Sullivan, chief engineer of The Boston Water and Sewer Commission, has been sitting on a proposal for more than three years to replace the bridge with floodgates, according to the Boston Globe. The floodgates, which would be movable, would essentially turn the Fort Point Channel into a catchment basin to hold rainwater in and keep storm surges from flooding the city streets.
We want to know: After its demolition, should the Northern Avenue bridge be replaced? If so, what would you like to see put in its place?
Tell us by filling out the form or e-mailing us at [email protected], and your response may appear in a future Boston.com article.
What should replace Northern Avenue bridge?
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