Longfellow Bridge
| Company type | Infrastructure / Bridge |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation |
| Founded | 1906 |
| Headquarters | Boston and Cambridge , United States |
Area served | Boston, Massachusetts; Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Products | Roadway, railway, bicycle and pedestrian bridge |
| Owner | Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) |
The Longfellow Bridge is a steel rib arch bridge that spans the Charles River, linking Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood with Cambridge's Kendall Square. It accommodates Massachusetts Route 3, the MBTA Red Line, as well as bicycle and pedestrian traffic. Initially known as the Cambridge Bridge and earlier as the West Boston Bridge, it is colloquially referred to as the "Salt-and-Pepper Bridge" because of the distinctive shape of its central towers.
Oversight of the bridge falls under the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). It handles an estimated daily volume of 28,600 vehicles alongside 90,000 public transit riders. Its eastern terminus directly connects to the elevated Charles/MGH station and Charles Circle, serving as a crucial transit hub between Boston and Cambridge.
Design
The Longfellow Bridge functions as a combined railway and roadway structure, measuring wide and extending long between its abutments—nearly half a mile when including approach spans. The bridge comprises eleven steel arch segments supported by ten masonry piers and two substantial abutments. Arch spans vary from at the ends up to at the center, with corresponding rises ranging from to . The clearance beneath the main central arch is at mean high water level.
The two principal piers, each measuring long and wide, are crowned by four granite towers intricately carved with Viking ship prows. These decorations reference a supposed voyage by Leif Eriksson, popularized by Harvard professor Eben Horsford. Additionally, these piers bear the official seals of both Boston and Cambridge.
Travelers crossing the bridge enjoy sweeping views of Boston’s skyline. The Boston Globe lauded this vantage point as offering "a view of Boston’s beauty in a single, satisfying gulp" when riding the Red Line.[1]
History
The location’s earliest river crossing was a ferry service dating back to the 1630s. The West Boston Bridge, constructed in 1793 by private investors under state authorization, catalyzed growth in East Cambridge through new street layouts and land reclamation projects. Around 1812, the Cambridge and Concord Turnpike (modern-day Broadway) connected to its western approach. Toll collection ceased on January 30, 1858. Beginning March 26, 1856, Boston’s first horsecar line operated across this bridge before becoming part of the West End Street Railway network. Electrification of the Harvard Square–Bowdoin Square route was completed on February 16, 1889.
In 1898, the Cambridge Bridge Commission was formed to oversee construction of a new bridge—later designated Cambridge Bridge—designed to accommodate both elevated and surface streetcars operated by the Boston Elevated Railway Company. Chief Engineer William Jackson and Consulting Architect Edmund M. Wheelwright conducted studies of European bridges to guide their design approach. Influenced by the 1893 Columbian Exposition, Wheelwright sought to replicate the grandeur of prominent European bridges.
Although initial plans mandated a drawbridge, this requirement was waived in favor of a fixed span to minimize costs and avoid traffic interruptions. Construction commenced in July 1900; the bridge opened in August 1906 and was officially dedicated on July 31, 1907.[2]
In 1927, the Massachusetts General Court renamed it Longfellow Bridge to honor Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who referenced its predecessor in his 1845 poem "The Bridge." The structure includes pedestrian staircases with stone towers at both ends; on the Cambridge side these stairs still descend to the Charles River shoreline, whereas on the Boston side Storrow Drive’s construction between 1950-51 altered the shoreline, leaving stair landings isolated.
Originally equipped with streetcar tracks and an unused central reservation, the bridge incorporated rapid transit service with the inauguration of the Cambridge–Dorchester line (now known as the Red Line) on March 23, 1912, linking Harvard Square to Park Street through tunnels beneath Cambridge and Beacon Hill.[3] Streetcar operations declined following subway commencement; by December 14, 1925 streetcars were replaced by buses along this corridor.[4] The Charles station opened on February 27, 1932 at Boston’s end to serve West End residents and Massachusetts General Hospital patients; bus service was discontinued thereafter.[5] Between 1924 and 1952, non-revenue trains from East Boston Tunnel utilized streetcar tracks over this bridge for access to maintenance yards near Harvard station. Both streetcar tracks remained in use until the south track was removed during the 1930s.[6]
Neglect
Similar to numerous bridges throughout Massachusetts, the Longfellow Bridge suffered extensive decline as a result of inadequate upkeep. Aside from a modest refurbishment in 1959 and some repair work carried out in 2002, no significant maintenance occurred between its completion in 1907 and 2011.
In mid-2008, two state workers illicitly sold decorative iron trim that had been removed for restoration purposes. One of these individuals held a managerial position within the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). The stolen historic parapet coping, which would later require replication costing over $500,000 by 2012, was sold as scrap for merely $12,147. Both perpetrators were found guilty in September 2009.
Safety concerns prompted the closure of the western sidewalk and an inner traffic lane in mid-2008, accompanied by a reduced speed limit for the Red Line subway. Additionally, spectators were prohibited from using the bridge to view Fourth of July fireworks. These restrictions were lifted in August 2008 when the speed limit was restored and lanes reopened. On August 4, 2008, Governor Deval Patrick enacted legislation allocating $3 billion toward bridge repairs across Massachusetts. Funding derived from bond sales supported the Longfellow Bridge’s rehabilitation project, with initial cost estimates around $267.5 million. Historically, routine maintenance would have amounted to approximately $81 million. The design phase commenced in Spring 2005, with construction scheduled between Spring 2012 and Spring 2016.
Responsibility for the renovation project transitioned from DCR to the newly formed Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) on November 1, 2009.
Due to the bridge’s deteriorated state, immediate temporary repairs were essential prior to undertaking comprehensive restoration planning. In August 2010, SPS New England Inc received a $17 million contract to execute improvements including ADA-compliant sidewalks on the approaches. Structural assessments and masonry cleaning began in March 2011. By May of that year, efforts focused on removing rust and applying primer to steel arch ribbons last painted in 1953; this work was intended to assess requirements for extensive rehabilitation. The interim repairs were anticipated to be completed by December 2011.
Major reconstruction project
Initiated in the summer of 2013, a $255 million endeavor focused on replacing structural components and restoring the bridge’s historic features. This extensive work necessitated a minimum of 25 weekend shutdowns of the MBTA Red Line service, involving several temporary shifts of the rapid transit tracks. Throughout the three-year construction timeline, outbound vehicular traffic was rerouted, while one inbound lane remained accessible, occasionally limited to bus use. MassDOT provided a comprehensive animation detailing the six-phase rehabilitation procedure, which featured a temporary "shoo-fly track" to facilitate rebuilding the central railbed.
The design/build contract was granted to the White-Skanska-Conslgli joint venture under MassDOT’s oversight. Jacobs Engineering handled preliminary design engineering, with STV, Inc. serving as the final design engineer and engineer of record. Project enhancements included expanded sidewalks and bike lanes, two lanes for inbound traffic, and a single lane for outbound vehicles. The architectural design for the rehabilitation was led by Boston-based architect Miguel Rosales.
Recognized as Boston’s foremost historic bridge, the project sought to resolve structural issues, enhance capacity, comply with current regulations, and preserve its architectural integrity. A significant restoration task involved dismantling, cleaning, and reassembling the 58-foot towers flanking the navigation channel that had experienced settlement over time.
Although originally planned for completion in 2016, the project extended until December 2018 due to restoration methods requiring outdated techniques such as riveting. In August 2016, full closure of the outbound side was implemented to expedite progress and allow complete reopening by June 2018. The bridge reopened entirely on May 31, 2018, with finishing touches like the pedestrian footbridge over Storrow Drive finalized by fall 2018. According to MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan L. Gulliver, total expenditures reached $306.6 million. Following contractor settlements, the state disbursed $305.5 million against a budgeted $303.7 million, indicating some budget overruns.