The North Washington Street Bridge
The plan to tear down the century old North Washington Street Bridge that connects Charlestown to the North End is moving along.
The $90 million plan calls for tearing down the aging steel bridge and replacing it with a more modern bridge that is not only more user friendly to cars but also to bicyclists and pedestrians.
The new bridge would be built on the existing footprint as the current bridge, According to reports the new bridge would have wider sidewalks and seating areas, a dedicated bike lane and fully paved roads.
The bridge has served as the Freedom Trail’s link from downtown to Charlestown. The plan would keep a portion of the bridge open during construction in order not to disrupt the Freedom Trail’s connections here.
The bridge project was highlighted when Mayor Martin Walsh unveiled his $2.7 billion fiscal year 2015 budget. In it is Walsh and the city’s five year $1.9 billion capital plan, “Building a Better Boston,” that the Walsh administration has dubbed an investment program for the City’s future
However, funding for the project, which includes state funding most likely wont come through until 2017.