Northern Avenue Bridge
Northern Avenue Bridge | |
|---|---|
The bridge in its open position in May 2016 | |
| Coordinates | 42°21′16.3″N 71°2′58.0″W / 42.354528°N 71.049444°W |
| Carries | Northern Avenue |
| Crosses | Fort Point Channel |
| Locale | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Official name | Northern Avenue Swing Bridge |
| Other name(s) | Old Northern Avenue Bridge |
| Owner | City of Boston |
| Maintained by | Boston Public Works |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Pratt truss swing span |
| Material | Steel |
| Total length | 643 feet (196 m) |
| Width | 80 feet (24 m) |
| Height | 46 feet (14 m) (above deck) |
| Longest span | 283 feet (86 m) (swing span) |
| Clearance below | 7 feet (2.1 m) (closed) unlimited (open) |
| No. of lanes | 2 |
| Rail characteristics | |
| No. of tracks | 1 (circa 1918–1970) |
| History | |
| Designer | William Jackson, City Engineer |
| Engineering design by | Boston Public Works |
| Constructed by | New England Structural Company (superstructure), W. H. Ellis Co. (piers & abutments) |
| Built | 1905–1908 |
| Opened | October 24, 1908 |
| Closed | November 1997 (to vehicles) December 2014 (fully) |
| Replaced by | Evelyn Moakley Bridge |
| Location | |
| References | |
The Northern Avenue Bridge is a swing bridge that spans the Fort Point Channel of Boston, Massachusetts. Following its closure as a road bridge in 1997, various redevelopment schemes have been proposed for the bridge, as well as outright demolition of the span.
In Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) documentation, the bridge is referred to as the Northern Avenue Swing Bridge. It is sometimes known as the Old Northern Avenue Bridge, as its replacement was briefly known as the New Northern Avenue Bridge before it was officially named the Evelyn Moakley Bridge.