It’s time to say goodbye to the Northern Ave. Bridge.  The City of Boston is moving forward with plans to dismantle the historic Northern Avenue Bridge over Fort Point Channel. The Public Works Department has submitted a proposal to the Massachusetts Historical Commission to remove the bridge’s deteriorating superstructure, citing safety concerns for waterway users.

Built in 1908, the Northern Avenue Bridge was closed to vehicular traffic in 1997 and to pedestrians in 2014 due to structural issues. In recent years, various proposals for its reconstruction have been discussed, including options for pedestrian and cyclist pathways, a bus lane, and a waterfront promenade.

According to the Boston Globe, the Public Works Department plans to break it down and load the pieces onto barges to a waterfront staging area behind the Leader Bank Pavilion for disassembly and paint removal. The concrete masonry piers that hold up the bridge would stay. The Massachusetts Historical Commission has agreed with the removal due to the fact the holes in the iron girders that support the bridge are getting so big it’s better to take it apart now before pieces fall into the channel.

Back in December, the city’s historic preservation officer requested an update on the paperwork, noting that the grand redesign pitched in 2020 under former Mayor Marty Walsh is currently on pause. So far, Boston has set aside $31 million to address the fate of the Northern Avenue Bridge, with $9 million already spent on design and engineering. The Wu administration is aiming to kick off demolition later this year—pending key approvals from the US Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies—and estimates the teardown could cost at least $20 million.

Could a giant bathtub save Boston from flooding? That’s the big idea coming from John Sullivan, the chief engineer of the Boston Water and Sewer Commission. For over three years, he’s been pushing a bold plan: a barrier with movable gates at the mouth of Fort Point Channel. The goal? Keep storm surges out and trap excess rainwater in—a pricey but potentially game-changing fix for the city’s ongoing battle with flooding.

At first, it might sound a little out there, but Sullivan, a no-nonsense guy, lays out a pretty compelling argument. Fort Point Channel is basically a stormwater superhighway, draining pipes from downtown, Southie, and the South End. A nasty storm hitting at high tide could overwhelm the system, flooding streets and buildings. His plan? Shut the gates at low tide when a major storm is on the horizon, turning the channel into a temporary reservoir—holding up to 160 million gallons of water. Once the tide goes down, the water gets released or pumped out, sparing the city from a soaking.

This new Fort Point Channel barrier would also provide a potential foundation for a new footbridge, either to the north of what’s left of the Northern Avenue bridge, or roughly in its existing footprint.  Bringing back a way for pedestrians and cyclists to cross Fort Point Channel would be a welcomed by local employers says Patrick Sullivan, head of the Seaport Transportation Management Association. His group had backed the compromise plan from five years ago—now stuck in limbo—but he admits some members are breathing a sigh of relief that the city is finally moving forward with demolition, if only for safety’s sake.

You can read more details about this project here. 

Image via photographer Amy Honan Rodriguez on Instagram