Great Bridge

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Connections North Boston Neck Prior to the ambitious land-making endeavors of the nineteenth century, Boston was a peninsula connected to the mainland by an isthmus, a narrow 40-yard wide strip of land, called the Boston Neck. Early maps illustrate that the road over the neck between Roxbury and Boston (current Washington Street) was the only existing way, other than by water, to travel to and from the town. Bad weather conditions or high tides would often lood the neck and cut of travel, turning Boston into an island. he “Great Ferry” Private individuals engaged in the business of ferrying passengers across the Charles River as a result of its limited access. The irst public ferry, the Charlestown Ferry, was not established until a meeting of the governing Massachusetts Court of Assistants in 1630. 1630 - Governor John Winthrop and the Court of Assistants, Deputy Governor of the Colony, with Mr. William Coddington, Sir Richard Saltonstall and others meet in Boston; and it was ordered: “That whoesoeuer shall irst giue in his name to Mr. Gounr that hee will vndertake to sett vpp a ferry betwixte Boston and Charlton, & shall begin the same att such tyme as Mr. Gounr shall appoynt, shall haue Id for euy pson, & Id for euy 100 waight of goods hee shall soe transport.” 1631 - Edward Converse, the irst man to take advantage of the act, establishes a ferry between Boston and Charlestown; the irst chartered public transportation in America. “Edw: Converse hath vndertaken to sett vpp a ferry betwixte Charlton & Boston, for which hee is to haue ijd for euy single pson, & 1d a peece if there be 2 or more.” Defraying the Cost of Indigent Scholars 1640 - Finding it diicult to secure a trustworthy ferryman the General Court ordered that the ferry privilege between Boston and Charlestown be granted to Harvard College for the inancial beneit of the institution. The Harvard Corporation, managers of the Charlestown ferry, often petitioned the General Court against proposals to build bridges across the Charles River arguing that a bridge would decrease the ferry's revenue, while increasing visitors to Cambridge and consequently, "scholars will be in danger of being too much interrupted in their studies & hurt in their morals.” Courtesy of the Harvard University Archives 1646 - Harvard University begins operating the ferry. For one hundred and forty-ive years Harvard received consistent revenue from the ferry tolls. 1650 - Harvard College is granted the right to sell or lease the ferry. he "Great Bridge" 1662- The "Great Bridge", the irst pile bridge of record in the colonies, connected Cambridge and Brighton near the current site of the Anderson Memorial Bridge near Harvard Stadium. Courtesy of the Harvard University Archives 1739 - John Staniford proposes a bridge from West Boston to East Cambridge. 1761 - Samuel Sewall is credited with building the irst long wooden pile and beam bridge in America over the York River in Maine; 270 feet long, supported on 13 piers. He later designed the Charles River Bridge in 1886. Courtesy Library of Congress Harvard Petitions the General Court 1713 - First oicial motion to replace the ferry with a bridge. 1720 - Proposal to build a bridge between Gees Ship Yard & Hudson's Point to Charlestown fails to gain appeal. 1738 - Proposal to start a ferry and to build a bridge from Boston to East Cambridge was denied by the General Court. Courtesy Library of Congress Exhibit Designed by www.donaldsouliere.com.

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Hearing Set on Plans to Upgrade 95-Year-Old Larz Anderson Bridge - Allston Brighton - Your Town - Boston.Com
Hearing set on plans to upgrade 95-year-old Larz Anderson Bridge - Allston Brighton - Your Town - Boston.com YOUR TOWN (MORE TOWNS) Sign In | Register now Allston Brighton home news events discussions search < Back to front page Text size – + Connect to Your Town Allston Brighton on Facebook Like You like Your Town Allston-Brighton. Unlike · Admin Page · Error ALLSTON BRIGHTON, CAMBRIDGE You and 51 others like this 51 people like this Hearing set on plans to upgrade ADVERTISEMENT 95-year-old Larz Anderson Bridge Posted by Matt Rocheleau October 21, 2010 11:28 AM E-mail | Print | Comments () ALLSTON-BRIGHTON REAL ESTATE 86 160 6 0 Homes Rentals Open houses New listings for sale available this week this week ADVERTISEMENT (Courtesy MassDOT) The nearly century-old Anderson Memorial Bridge is under design to improve its structural integrity and enhance the bridge's accessibility. By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent A public hearing on design plans to refurbish the 95-year-old Anderson Memorial Bridge’s will be held in two weeks. The historic three-span, 440-foot Charles River crossing, commonly referred to as the “Larz Anderson Bridge,” connects Allston and Cambridge. It is one of six Charles River bridges currently under construction or in design under the state’s eight-year, $3 billion Accelerated Bridge Programthat began two years ago and includes $400 million to improve Lower Basin area bridges of the Charles River. Allston Brighton A hearing to update area residents and “to provide the public with the Headlines opportunity to become fully acquainted” with the Anderson bridge rehabilitation project will be held Nov.
[Show full text]
Master Plan for Planned Development Area No. 115
HARVARD university Master Plan for Planned Development Area No. 115 Submitted Pursuant to Article 80 of the Boston Zoning Code Harvard Enterprise Research Campus SubmiƩ ed to: Boston Redevelopment Authority d/b/a the Boston Planning & Development Agency SubmiƩ ed by: Harvard University With Technical Assistance From: DLA Piper Reed Hilderbrand VHB WSP ALLSTON CAMPUS December 2017 Master Plan for Planned Development Area No. 115 Submitted Pursuant to Article 80 of the Boston Zoning Code Harvard Enterprise Research Campus Submitted to: Boston Redevelopment Authority d/b/a the Boston Planning and Development Agency Submitted by: Harvard University With Technical Assistance From: DLA Piper Reed Hilderbrand VHB WSP December 2017 Table of Contents Page 1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 1 2.0 Relationship to Framework Plan .................................................................................................... 2 3.0 PDA Area Description ........................................................................................................................ 2 4.0 The Proposed Project ........................................................................................................................ 2 5.0 Planning Objectives and Character of Development .................................................................... 4 6.0 Project Benefits ...............................................................................................................................
[Show full text]
CCVA Critical Assets and Community Resources November 2015
Critical Assets & Community Resources Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment November 2015 City of Cambridge, Massachusetts Acknowledgements City of Cambridge Richard C. Rossi, City Manager Lisa C. Peterson, Deputy City Manager Project Steering Committee John Bolduc, Environmental Planner, Community Development Department, Project manager Iram Farooq, Assistant City Manager for Community Development Sam Lipson, Environmental Health Director, Public Health Department Brian Murphy, Assistant City Manager for Community Development Owen O'Riordan, Commissioner of Public Works Susanne Rasmussen, Environmental & Transportation Planning Director, Community Development Department Kathy Watkins, City Engineer, Department of Public Works Produced in Collaboration with Kleinfelder, Lead Consultant Nathalie Beauvais, Project Manager Lisa Dickson, Lead Principal Indrani Ghosh, Technical Lead Nasser Brahim, Vulnerability Assessment Vijay Kesavan, Vulnerability Assessment, GIS Karin Hagan, GIS Lead Christine McCarthy, Editor John Struzziery, Senior Engineer Amec Foster Wheeler; Peter Nimmrichter and Rich Niles, Critical infrastructure Consensus Building Institute; Ona Ferguson and Eric Roberts, Stakeholder engagement MWH Global Inc.; William Pisano and David Bedoya, Water infrastructure Technical Advisory Committee Richard Amster, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Kathleen Baskin, Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs Andrew Brennan, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Peter Crawley and Penny Loh, Residents Mark
[Show full text]
Newell Boathouse
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900 Boston, MA 02114 Charles D. Baker GOVERNOR Tel: (617) 626-1000 Karyn E. Polito Fax: (617) 626-1081 LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR http://www.mass.gov/eea Kathleen A. Theoharides SECRETARY August 23, 2021 CERTIFICATE OF THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS ON THE PROJECT COMMENCEMENT NOTICE PROJECT NAME : Harvard University’s Campus in Allston – Newell Boathouse PROJECT MUNICIPALITY : Boston PROJECT WATERSHED : Charles River EEA NUMBER : 14069 PROJECT PROPONENT : Harvard University DATE NOTICED IN MONITOR : July 23, 2021 Pursuant to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA; M.G.L. c. 30, ss. 61-62I) and Section 11.10 of the MEPA regulations (301 CMR 11.00), and the associated Special Review Procedure (SRP) dated November 20, 2013, I have reviewed the Project Commencement Notice (PCN) and hereby determine that the project described therein does not require an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Project History Between 2007 and 2014, Harvard University (Harvard) submitted for MEPA review an Institutional Master Plan (IMP) for development of its campus and other properties in Allston (Ten-Year Plan). Due to the complexity and long build-out period of the projects, an SRP was issued on November 20, 2013, to guide MEPA review of the build-out of the Ten-Year Plan projects. Among the procedures identified in the SRP and the Certificate on the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) issued on October 17, 2014, was the filing of a PCN for one or more projects in the IMP as more detail becomes available for such projects.
[Show full text]
Appendix B History
appendix The Historic Era The earliest European occupants of the Shawmut penin- Cambridge, lobbied successfully for the construction of the ,-foot B sula and of Cambridge and Charlestown to the north Craigie or Canal Bridge between that point and Leverett Street in Boston. tended to view the Charles River not as a scenic or recre- Further upstream, Cambridge and Brighton were connected by the River ational resource but as an obstacle to efficient movement Street Bridge in and the Western Avenue Bridge in . from town to town. Major improvements in the water- course during the seventeenth century attest to the domi- Population and commerce grew rapidly in the lower portion of the nance of this view. In Boston permitted entrepre- Charles River Basin, and both public officials and industrialists began the neurs to dam the North Cove—for the most part a process of altering the natural configuration of the river, largely in the Tsaltwater marsh separated from the Charles by a causeway visible only at interests of commercial and municipal development. One of the earliest low tide—and then build a canal to harness the ebb and flow of ocean such projects was the stone dam built in upstream of Galen Street at tides in order to power grist and saw mills. In the long causeway the fall line. The first land-making project in the West End of Boston known as the Great Bridge, the first bridge to span the Charles and thus was the construction of a seawall near Leverett Street and filling behind it to connect Boston and the region to the north, was built over mud flats to create land for Boston’s new almshouse between and .
[Show full text]
Anderson Memorial Bridge Underpass Advocacy an Abbreviated History the Charles River Conservancy – April 2018
Anderson Memorial Bridge Underpass Advocacy An Abbreviated History The Charles River Conservancy – April 2018 The Charles River Conservancy’s interest in Charles River bridge underpasses began in 2006, when the Conservancy conducted an analysis of the 17 miles of pathways along the Charles River shoreline with a grant from the Barr Foundation. The resulting report recommended adding pedestrian underpasses to river bridges, and the Conservancy submitted the report to the Department of Conservation and Recreation. In 2008, the Conservancy’s attention was refocused when Governor Patrick launched the Accelerated Bridge Program (ABP). The $3B program included the rehabilitation of Anderson Memorial, River Street, and Western Avenue Bridges, among others, and the Conservancy saw a once-in-a-century opportunity to incorporate underpasses into the renovation plans for these three bridges. The organization immediately began advocating for underpasses. Major obstacles quickly ruled out the possibility of underpasses on the Cambridgeside, so the Conservancy narrowed its efforts to the Boston side. The Anderson Rehabilitation Project, the first of the three projects to proceed, was wholly state-funded. It required both state and federal permits. These were: • Boston Conservation Commission – Order of Conditions • Cambridge Conservation Commission – Order of Conditions • MA Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR) – Construction Permit • MA Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) – Environmental Notification Form (ENF) Certificate • MA Water Resources Authority (MWRA) – Section 8(m) Permit • US Coast Guard – General Construction Requirements • US Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) – PGP Category 2 • Section 106 Approval with the ACOE as the lead agency • National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) – Section 106 Review Urged by the Conservancy and other advocates, MassDOT conducted an underpass feasibility study, which it released in January of 2011.
[Show full text]
Section C Arsenal Street Bridge to Eliot Bridge
Section C Arsenal Street Bridge to Eliot Bridge The Charles River Reservation between the Arsenal Street and Eliot Bridges is relatively There are several options for the road narrowing on Greenough Boulevard (Figure narrow on the north side, but widens to include Herter Park on the south side. This great 48). Option 1 reallocates the existing pavement so that a 12-foot wide two- riverfront park is difficult to reach from nearby neighborhoods. The concept of the “Herter way cycle track and parking can be added. Option 2 consolidates the existing Loop” includes expanding the parkland area between these two bridges, while also roadway and path, maximizing the width of the continuous parkland on the improving the neighborhood connections to the loop. south side of the path. Option 3 is similar to option 2, but instead of abutting the roadway, the path through the parkland is separated from the adjacent roadway. North Bank. On the north side of the river, the GSA property at the northeast corner The Lawrence and Lillian Solomon Foundation, in coordination with DCR, is of Arsenal Street and Greenough Boulevard will be redeveloped by DCR for passive pursuing a redesign that incorporates many of the recommendations above, as recreation, and the connection across Greenough Boulevard to the reservation should be illustrated in Figure 47. Fund raising for the project is on-going. improved. The intersection at the Cambridge end of the Eliot Bridge is extremely difficult Greenough Boulevard is a candidate for road narrowing, and further study will be needed for pedestrians and bicyclists to navigate.
[Show full text]
Harvard University's Campus in Allston
Institutional Master Plan HARVARD UNIVERSITY’S CAMPUS IN ALLSTON | JULY 2013 Appendices Table of Contents A. Scoping Determination and Response to Comment Letters B. Public Realm Guidelines Supplement C. Transportation Study Harvard University’s Campus in Allston | IMP Appendices July 2013 APPENDIX A: Scoping Determination & Response to Comment Letters Appendix A: Responses to Comments BRA Scoping Determination and Letters Received on the IMPNF Boston Redevelopment Authority Scoping Determination BRA Urban Design Scoping Determination Comments (David Grissino) Boston Environment Department Boston Landmarks Commission) Boston Water and Sewer Commission Boston Parks and Recreation Department Boston Police Department Boston Transportation Department Boston City Council District 9 The Harvard Allston Task Force Charles River Conservancy Charles River Watershed Association/ MAPC Kimberly S. Courtney, Esq. Matthew Danish Paula and Robert Alexander Tim McHale Joyce Radnor Art and Al Boright Appendix A Page 1 Response to Comments IMP Harvard University’s Campus in Allston March 29, 2013 Ms. Katherine Lapp, Executive Vice President Harvard University Massachusetts Hall Cambridge, MA 02138 Re: Institutional Master Plan Scoping Determination Dear Ms. Lapp: Please find enclosed the Scoping Determination for the proposed Harvard University Institutional Master Plan. The Scoping Determination describes information required by the Boston Redevelopment Authority in response to the Institutional Master Plan Notification Form, which was submitted under Article 80D of the Boston Zoning Code on October 19, 2012. Additional information may be required during the course of the review of the proposals. If you have any questions regarding the Scoping Determination or the review process, please contact me at (617) 918-4438. Sincerely, Gerald Autler Senior Project Manager / Planner cc: Peter Meade Kairos Shen Linda Kowalcky Angela Holm In 2005, the BRA published the North Allston Strategic Framework for Planning (“NASFP”).
[Show full text]
Weld Boathouse Renovation
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900 Boston, MA 02114 Charles D. Baker GOVERNOR Tel: (617) 626-1000 Karyn E. Polito Fax: (617) 626-1081 LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR http://www.mass.gov/eea Kathleen A. Theoharides SECRETARY August 23, 2021 CERTIFICATE OF THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL NOTIFICATION FORM PROJECT NAME : Weld Boathouse Renovation PROJECT MUNICIPALITY : Cambridge PROJECT WATERSHED : Charles River EEA NUMBER : 16416 PROJECT PROPONENT : Harvard University and the Harvard University Athletics DATE NOTICED IN MONITOR : July 23, 2021 Pursuant to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA; M.G.L. c. 30, ss. 61-62I) and Section 11.06 of the MEPA regulations (301 CMR 11.00), I hereby determine that this project does not require an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Project Description As described in the Environmental Notification Form (ENF), the project includes repair and renovation of the Weld boathouse in Cambridge including accessibility enhancements; reconstruction of ±8,460 square feet (sf) of pile-supported and floating docks and ramps within the existing footprint, including replacement of the structural frame, piles and deck; and improvements to stormwater management infrastructure and sidewalks along Memorial Drive. The ENF indicates that the Weld docks have reached the end of their useful life. According to the ENF, the project site contains Environmental Justic (EJ) populations characterized as Minority. Specifically, the project site EJ characteristics include median household income of $63,269, which equates to 73.7 percent of the state median; total minority population of 53.8 percent; and households with language isolation of 6.3 percent.
[Show full text]
Science and Engineering Complex
SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING COMPLEX INSTITUTIONAL MASTER PLAN NOTIFICATION FORM / NOTICE OF PROJECT CHANGE NOVEMBER 2015 VIEW FROM WESTERN AVENUE EAST Institutional Master Plan Notification Form / Notice of Project Change For the First Amendment to Harvard University’s Campus in Allston Institutional Master Plan SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING COMPLEX Submitted to: Boston Redevelopment Authority Submitted by: Harvard University, through: In conjunction with: Harvard Planning & Project Management Behnisch Architekten Smith Campus Center & 1350 Massachusetts Avenue Epsilon Associates Inc. Cambridge, MA 02138 Vanasse Hangen Brustin Inc. Stephen Stimson Associates Nitsch Engineering Inc. Transolar Van Zelm Engineers Turner Construction ALLSTON CAMPUSCPP Wind Engineering November 2015 TABLE OF CONTEnts EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.0 INTRODUCTION AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK 2.0 PROJECT DesCRIPTION 2.1 Previously Approved Project 3 2.2 Planning for Current Project 3 2.3 Changes to the Project 4 2.4 Project Description 5 2.5 Relationship to the Institutional Master Plan and Existing Zoning 14 2.6 Community Benefits 16 2.7 List of Permits 17 2.8 Project Team 18 3.0 ANTICIPATED IMPACTS 3.1 Transportation and Access 21 3.2 Pedestrian Level Wind 43 3.3 Shadow 46 3.4 Daylight 54 3.5 Solar Glare 59 3.6 Air Quality 59 3.7 Groundwater and Geotechnical Impacts 72 3.8 Solid and Hazardous Waste 73 3.9 Noise Impacts 73 3.10 Construction Logistics 84 3.11 Rodent Control 85 3.12 Project Sustainability 86 3.13 Urban Design 87 Science and Engineering Complex TABLE OF COntents i Institutional
[Show full text]
Navigating the Charles River for Power Boaters
Navigating the Charles River for Power Boaters Power boaters on the Charles share the river with a multitude of other craft. From just above the railroad bridge through the narrow channel by the Science Museum and into the middle of the Esplanade Basin the Duck Boats run rain or shine. Sailboats from Community Boating, MIT, and Harvard dominate the basin between the Longfellow Bridge and the Harvard (Mass Ave.) Bridge while sailboats from BU are between the Harvard Bridge and the BU Bridge. There are thirteen rowing houses along the river, starting with Union Boat Club near the Longfellow Bridge and ending with the Newton Country Day School boathouse just downriver from the Newton Yacht Club. In addition to the sailors and rowers, there are canoeists, kayakers and paddle-boarders from the Charles River Canoe & Kayak sites on the Broad Canal near Kendall Square and at Herter Park in Allston/Brighton. These paddlers tend to not follow any traffic rules, so be alert for them. The Charles Riverboat Company tour boats run between the Lechmere Canal at the Cambridgeside Galleria and Harvard Square. Power boaters should plan on a one hour run from Sunset Bay, home to Newton Yacht Club, Watertown Yacht Club, and the public launch ramp, to the locks leading to Boston Harbor. The speed limit is 6 mph above the BU Bridge, 10 mph between the BU Bridge and the old lock by the Science Museum. Between the entrance to the old lock and the exit of the new locks, speed is limited to headway only. Even at these slow speeds, it is possible to generate enough of a wake to swamp a rowing shell or kayak, so please be courteous and alert.
[Show full text]
Charles Riverfront Plan Reconnecting People to the Water
CAMBRIDGE RIVERFRONT PLAN: Reconnecting People to the Water CITY of Cambridge Community Development Department 2 CITY MANAGER DEPUTY CITY MANGER Robert W. Healy Richard C. Rossi CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL David P. Maher, Mayor Henrietta Davis, Vice Mayor Leland Cheung Marjorie C. Decker Craig A. Kelley Kenneth E. Reeves Sam Seidel E. Denise Simmons Timothy J. Toomey, Jr. PLANNING BOARD Hugh Russell, Chair Tom Anninger, Vice Chair H. Theodore Cohen Ahmed Nur Charles Studen William Tibbs Steven Winter Pamela Winters CITY STAFF Brain Murphy, Assistant City Manager for Community Development Susan Glazer, Deputy Director for Community Development Beth Rubenstein, Former Assistant City Manager for Community Development Riverfront Planning Team Stuart Dash, Director of Community Planning Roger Boothe, Director of Urban Design Lester Barber, Former Director of Land Use and Zoning Iram Farooq, Senior Project Manager Robin Shore, Graphics Director Brendan Monroe, GIS Specialist Photo Credits: Most of the photographs are by Roger Boothe or Iram Farooq, unless otherwise noted. Spring 2011 CAMBRIDGE RIVERFRONT PLAN: Reconnecting People to the Water 3 4 CAMBRIDGE RIVERFRONT PLAN Reconnecting People to the Water Chapter 1 THE Charles River in Cambridge . 9 Introduction Chapter 2 THE RIVERFRONT as A whole . .13 Issues and Opportunities A. Land Use and Zoning B. Recent and Ongoing Public Improvements C. Access and Use Chapter 3 AREA-SPECIFIC ANALYSES . .27 A. North Point B. Charles River Dam/Msgr. O’Brien Highway to Longfellow Bridge C. Longfellow Bridge to Boston University Bridge D. Boston University Bridge to Western Avenue E. Western Avenue Bridge to Cambridge/Watertown Line Chapter 4 Goals & Recommendations: . .81 Improving Use of the Charles River in Cambridge A.
[Show full text]