Chelsea Street Bridge

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]

Chelsea Street Bridge
Chelsea Street Bridge in March 2014
Coordinates42.3863°N 71.0227°W / 42.3863; -71.0227
CrossesChelsea River
Followed byAndrew McArdle Bridge
Characteristics
DesignVertical-lift bridge
Total length450 feet (140 m)
Clearance above175 feet (53 m) (raised)
History
Construction startOctober 28, 2008[1]
Construction endSummer 2013[1]
Construction cost$125,491,530.96[1]
OpenedMay 12, 2012
Location

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
Chelsea Street Bridge in the raised position

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]

Previous bridge

Mystic River bridge (former)

Another bridge referred to by the same name was replaced by the Tobin Bridge, formerly connecting Chelsea Street in Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts with the City of Chelsea. However, this bridge is not the former bridge connecting East Boston with Chelsea.

See also

References
  1. "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.
  2. Jessen, Klark (May 14, 2012). "Chelsea Street Bridge Opens". Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  3. 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.
  4. "Chelsea Street Bridge". Civil + Structural Engineer magazine. February 19, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  5. (full paragraph) "Road to Reform Newsletter". Massachusetts Department of Transportation. May 18, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  6. 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.
  7. Vaccaro, Adam (June 29, 2018). "New Chelsea Silver Line hits bridge delays". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  8. "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.
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