Chelsea Street Bridge (Boston) Explained

Bridge Name:Chelsea Street Bridge
Crosses:Chelsea River
Design:Vertical-lift bridge
Clearance: (raised)
Begin:October 28, 2008[1]
Complete:Summer 2013
Cost:$125,491,530.96
Open:May 12, 2012
Followed:Andrew McArdle Bridge
Coordinates:42.3863°N -71.0227°W

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 with a vertical clearance, when opened, of . There are two lanes and a sidewalk in each direction.[5]

Previous bridges

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

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

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Boston - Bridge Replacement, B-16-020=C-09-004, Chelsea Street Over the Chelsea River. Highway Division, Massachusetts Department of Transportation. August 5, 2018. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150928163414/http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/ProjectInfo/Main.asp?ACTION=ViewProject&PROJECT_NO=604517. September 28, 2015.
  2. News: Jessen. Klark. Chelsea Street Bridge Opens. . May 14, 2012 . July 25, 2018.
  3. News: Lynds . John . Going Up and Down: State, Local Officials at Opening of New Chelsea Street Bridge. Chelsea Record . May 17, 2012 . July 25, 2018.
  4. News: Chelsea Street Bridge . Civil + Structural Engineer magazine . February 19, 2014. July 25, 2018.
  5. (full paragraph) Web site: Road to Reform Newsletter. May 18, 2012. Massachusetts Department of Transportation. June 2, 2012.
  6. Web site: Chelsea Street Bridge and Draw Tender's House . Carolan . Jane . 1997 . . Library of Congress . Washington, D.C. . 2 . October 25, 2020.
  7. News: New Chelsea Silver Line hits bridge delays . Adam . Vaccaro . . June 29, 2018 . July 25, 2018.
  8. Web site: Part 117 - Drawbridge Operation Regulations . Code of Federal Regulations Chapter 33 . 588 . §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.. Government Publishing Office. July 23, 2018.

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