Congress Street Bridge (Boston)
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Congress Street Bridge | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The bridge in 2012 | |
| Coordinates | 42°21′07″N 71°03′04″W / 42.35190°N 71.05118°W |
| Carries | Congress Street |
| Crosses | Fort Point Channel |
| Locale | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Official name | Congress Street Bascule Bridge |
| Owner | City of Boston |
| Maintained by | Boston Public Works |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Trunnion bascule bridge |
| Material | Steel, concrete, granite |
| Total length | 561 feet (171 m) |
| Width | 65 feet (20 m) |
| Height | 53 feet (16 m) (above deck) |
| Longest span | 91 feet (28 m) (bascule) |
| No. of spans | 9 |
| Piers in water | 8 |
| Clearance below | 6 feet (1.8 m) (closed) unlimited (open) |
| No. of lanes | 2 (formerly 4) |
| History | |
| Architect | Henri Desmond & Israel Lord |
| Designer | Strauss Bascule Bridge Company |
| Constructed by | Boston Bridge Works |
| Built | 1930 – January 1931 |
| Replaces | 1874 swing bridge |
| Location | |
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| References | |
| [1] | |
The Congress Street Bridge is a bascule bridge in Boston, Massachusetts. It carries Congress Street across the Fort Point Channel, from the city's Financial District to South Boston. The bridge is well-known to tourists due to the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum being located near the mid-point of the crossing, accessible via a sidewalk.[2]
Boston's Congress Street was extended across Fort Point Channel in 1874 by way of a swing bridge.[1] That bridge was removed in 1929, and replaced in 1930 by the current bascule bridge.[1] The bridge was deemed complete on January 6, 1931, with a reported cost of $765,041 ($15.8 million in 2024).[1]
The lifting section of the bridge has been welded shut since the 1970s.[1]
Notable attractions in the area include Boston Children's Museum and the Hood Milk Bottle, located at the east end of the bridge, and the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, located near the center of the bridge. The Tea Party museum, which first opened in 1973,[3] originally occupied what had been the bridge tender's house.[4] The museum's gift shop burned in a fire on August 3, 2001,[4] which was late attributed to a lightning strike.[3] The facility remained closed, and another fire on August 27, 2007, consumed the main building.[3] That fire was accidentally ignited by sparks from welders working on the Congress Street Bridge.[3][5] A new structure was subsequently built for the Tea Party museum, which opened in June 2012.[6]
Gallery
The bridge in 2010, looking towards Downtown Boston
The bridge in 2010, looking towards South Boston
The bridge in 2011; the Summer Street Bridge is visible at left
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