Chelsea Street Bridge (Boston)
Chelsea Street Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Chelsea Street Bridge in March 2014 | |
| Coordinates | 42°23′11″N 71°01′22″W / 42.3863°N 71.0227°W |
| Crosses | Chelsea River |
| Followed by | Andrew McArdle Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Vertical-lift bridge |
| Total length | 450 feet (140 m) |
| Clearance above | 175 feet (53 m) (raised) |
| History | |
| Construction start | October 28, 2008[1] |
| Construction end | Summer 2013[1] |
| Construction cost | $125,491,530.96[1] |
| Opened | May 12, 2012 |
| Location | |
 | |
The Chelsea Street Bridge is a vertical-lift bridge that carries Chelsea Street between East Boston, Massachusetts, and Chelsea, Massachusetts, over the Chelsea Creek. It opened to traffic on May 12, 2012, after a $125.3M construction project replaced the previous bridge,[2][3] a single-leaf bascule-type drawbridge.[4] The span is 450 feet (140 m) with a vertical clearance, when opened, of 175 feet (53 m).[1] There are two lanes and a sidewalk in each direction.[5]
Previous bridges[edit]
The current bridge is the latest in a succession of bridges at the same site going back to 1834.[6] The most recent predecessor was a single-leaf bascule bridge on which construction began in 1936 and which was opened on May 10, 1937.[6]
Silver Line issues[edit]
The Chelsea Street Bridge is used by the MBTA Silver Line SL3 route, which began service in April 2018. Frequent openings of the bridge — as many as ten per day — have caused numerous delays.[7] Ships and barges carry petroleum products to tank farms upstream from the bridge and each delivery can cause at least two bridge openings as tug boats come and go. Federal regulations give priority to marine traffic and require the bridge to be opened on demand.[7][8]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "Boston - Bridge Replacement, B-16-020=C-09-004, Chelsea Street Over the Chelsea River". Highway Division, Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
- ^ Jessen, Klark (May 14, 2012). "Chelsea Street Bridge Opens". Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- ^ Lynds, John (May 17, 2012). "Going Up and Down: State, Local Officials at Opening of New Chelsea Street Bridge". Chelsea Record. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- ^ "Chelsea Street Bridge". Civil + Structural Engineer magazine. February 19, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- ^ (full paragraph) "Road to Reform Newsletter". Massachusetts Department of Transportation. May 18, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
- ^ a b Carolan, Jane (1997). "Chelsea Street Bridge and Draw Tender's House" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. p. 2. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ a b Vaccaro, Adam (June 29, 2018). "New Chelsea Silver Line hits bridge delays". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- ^ "Part 117 - Drawbridge Operation Regulations" (PDF). Code of Federal Regulations Chapter 33. Government Publishing Office. p. 588. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
§117.593 All drawbridges across the Chelsea River shall open on signal. The opening signal for each drawbridge is two pro- longed blasts followed by two short blasts and one prolonged blast. The acknowledging signal is three prolonged blasts when the draw can be opened immediately and is two prolonged blasts when the draw cannot be opened or is open and must be closed.
External links[edit]
Media related to Chelsea Street Bridge at Wikimedia Commons- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. MA-140, "Chelsea Street Bridge & Draw Tender's House, Spanning Chelsea River, Boston, Suffolk County, MA", 46 photos, 13 data pages, 6 photo caption pages
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