Pictured above is the new Meridian Street Bridge currently under construction. The roadway and existing bridge have been shut down and will stay closed until December. Starting Wednesday, June 1 at 12:00 a.m. and lasting through Thursday, December 1, the Chelsea Street bridge linking Chelsea and East Boston will be unavailable for traffic while crews demolish the current structure and complete the new lift bridge along with associated navigation work. “At the completion of the six-month closure period, the remaining roadway work will be undertaken along with additional work within the channel,” explained John Vitagliano, the project’s consultant. “These latter activities will require future, periodic nightly and weekend bridge closures.” The navigable Chelsea Creek running beneath the bridge will stay accessible during the six-month closure, with the exception of periods authorized by the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard will manage channel closures and notify mariners through Coast Guard Notices. Drivers will follow these detour routes: Northbound traffic heading to Chelsea should go east on Curtis Street; take a right onto the ramp from Route 1A (McClellan Highway) south toward East Boston/Winthrop; turn left under the Route 1A viaduct; turn left onto Chaucer Street; bear left onto the ramp to Route 1A north; bear right into Mahoney Circle/Bell Circle; stay right around the circle and take the fourth exit to Route 1A south; bear right onto Route 16 west; turn right onto the ramp to Route 107 (Broadway) south; turn slight left onto Eastern Avenue; continue to the end. Southbound cars and light trucks destined for East Boston should head north on Eastern Avenue; turn slight right onto Broadway; turn right onto the ramp to Route 16 (Revere Beach Parkway) east; turn right onto Route 145 (Revere Beach Parkway) east; turn right onto the ramp to Route 1A (McClellan Highway) south; turn right onto Curtis Street; follow to the end. Southbound heavy trucks heading to East Boston should go north on Eastern Avenue; turn slight right onto Broadway; turn right onto the ramp to Route 16 (Revere Beach Parkway) east; keep left and enter Mahoney Circle/Bell Circle; stay right around the circle and take the fourth exit to Route 1A south; turn right onto Curtis Street; follow to the end. “MassDOT encourages drivers to reduce speed and use caution when traveling near the work,” Vitagliano stated. The 73-year-old structurally-deficient Chelsea Street Bridge will be replaced by a new state-of-the-art drawbridge. U.S. Congressman Michael Capuano secured funding for this initiative a few years ago through the federal transportation bond bill. Through federal highway funds, the federal government authorized the state to allocate $437.9 million toward transportation projects, with $153.2 million designated for “shovel-ready” projects. Two years ago, the Patrick Administration released the initial eight recovery projects for bidding, committing approximately $30 million total for infrastructure improvements across all state regions. The Chelsea Street Bridge project was among these initiatives. The replacement structure will be a truss-type bridge spanning 450 feet with 175 feet of vertical clearance when raised. Four lanes of traffic (two per direction) and two pedestrian sidewalks will be provided, with the new bridge and approach roadway matching the existing footprint. Reconstructed approach roadways will connect to existing local streets, and a complete warning signal and gate system is part of the project. The initiative will resolve persistent problems created by the narrow passage used by oil tankers, which have caused numerous accidents. Between 1972 and the article’s writing, 133 incidents occurred involving ships, tugs or barges striking the bridge. Environmental benefits accompany the safety improvements, as fewer collisions will reduce oil spill risks. A tanker collision in June 2000 released 50,000 gallons of fuel oil, shutting down the waterway and disrupting aviation fuel deliveries for three days. Operations of the warning gate and bridge traffic signals will be synchronized with the Central Avenue/Marginal Street/Eastern Avenue intersection in Chelsea to manage traffic during bridge openings. Budgeted at $125 million, the project is anticipated to finish by spring 2012.
Bridge Closing Chelsea Street Bridge Closing Starts June 1 goes through Dec.1
