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Possibilities emerge for what to do with the old Northern Avenue bridge
By adamg on Sat, 05/07/2016 - 10:53am
Three of the options. See it larger.
The city of Boston and the Boston Society of Architects have posted entries in a design competition for what to do with the Northern Avenue Bridge, which has been closed to even pedestrians for the past year.
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Comments
My vote is for the Fallen Veterans Bridge
Which is very similar to the Samuel Beckett Bridge in Dublin.
Aim, then shoot. Walsh admin repeatedly fails on due diligence
Originally Marty announced rebuilding the Northern Ave bridge as a commitment to GE to address traffic congestion. Later, as the commitments he made to GE were rolled out in the press, and money from Boston taxpayers started adding up, Marty said rebuilding this bridge had been in the works for a long time.
At the very least, before spending $100,000,000 on a new bridge for autos to reduce traffic congestion, we should commission a traffic study to verify it will deliver on its $100,000,000 promise.
These designs are cool. Still, function and purpose is what justifies the investment. Let's verify that a new bridge will address the traffic congestion problem. If we don't do the study to verify the bridge will deliver, and we build it anyway, and it doesn't reduce traffic congestion, then we'll be on the hook for another expensive transportation project to fix what the new Northern Ave bridge didn't.
Here's another idea. Get Boston out of the bridge-building business and gain acceptance for the state to take on Northern Ave bridge ownership. The mayor often talks about Boston's tax revenue constraints (despite hundreds of millions of new revenue during our building boom.) The state can levy taxes whenever it choses. We have lots of things we should be spending money on before bridges, such as schools, transit, and housing.
Jesus! It was just a meaningless vote for a hypothetical bridge
I didn't expect a lecture on government spending as a response.
oh sorry
I didn't intend to direct my comment at you. It was for public consumption. I found your comment interesting. Thank you.
The state can levy taxes
Heh, tell that to the legislature that tried to pass that automatically-increasing gas tax a couple years ago.
None of the Above
The best solution is NOT to build a new Northern Avenue bridge. Use that money instead to improve the Silver Line. Vast, palatial stations at Courthouse and World Trade Center are likely the two most expensive and fanciest bus stops in the world!
The Silver Line is already overcrowded during many times of the day. The SL1 vehicles to the airport are poorly designed to accommodate luggage. Build the D Street underpass. Convert the line to light rail. Either run the airport component (SL1) directly from Summer Street in front of South Station, or have the connection at Silver Line Way -- using buses similar to Massport's vehicles it uses on the Logan Express from Back Bay.
Another vehicular bridge on Northern Ave. is not necessary and will actually enhance gridlock on Atlantic Ave., as the Moakley Bridge on Seaport Blvd. a few hundred feet away can handle all modes of traffic. If you must build something, build a simple, inexpensive bridge solely for pedestrians and bicycles, and divert the rest of any funding to the Silver Line.
If Cambridge and Somerville can earmark some extra funding for the legally-mandated and sorely-needed Green Line Extension, certainly Boston and even private corporations (paging GE, Vertex, Price-Waterhouse and others) can do the same.
Marty, are you there? Here's another opportunity for you to finally get one right.
Marty is too busy allowing
Marty is too busy allowing lobbyists, developers, and union bosses loot the city to care.
Correct: a vehicle bridge adds traffic
There have been studies to show that adding more roads, bridges and parking increase traffic. Anyone who doesn't care to look into this is naive. Boston is a glorified suburb with its urban feel slowly wasting away. If we want to be a real city we will focus on public transit as a top priority before bowing down to vehicle owners and those lobbying for them. But; Boston loves cars and parking and the state doesn't want to pay for public transit.
As someone who worked at
As someone who worked at Jimmys Harborside for 12 years I say blow it up rip it down get rid of it. It has not worked right for forty or more years. In cold or hot weather the hydraulic system that was used to drop the movable part of the bridge so it could pivot would not function so that the bridge could not be raised back to road level. We had many shifts that were destroyed by that bridge. We have the Moakley Bridge now and the area is more easily accessible from Congress Street than it use to be accessible. Open up the Fort Point Channel to more usage. Marinas water taxis restaurants with water access and high end tax paying office buildings. In my opinion it is an under used water way. That bridge is not a piece of history unless you count failure something to be commemorated.
uh
How come none of these proposals include turning into luxury condos with 2.5 parking spaces per unit? The developers are really missing out here.