A Boston city engineer plans to unveil a proposal for a new, multi-million-dollar bridge that would stretch from Charlestown to the North End, replacing the ancient North Washington Street bridge.
Boston Globe journalist Nestor Ramos reports engineer Para Jayasinghe is putting the finishing touches on his $90 million proposal, which he plans to show off to the public in September.
It would ultimately take “years” to complete the bridge, the Globe reports, and funding from the state might not become available until 2017.
Jayasinghe’s proposal reportedly calls for a more pedestrian-friendly bridge, capable of accommodating walkers and bikers, among others. “A bridge today, first and foremost, must be multimodal,” Jayasinghe told the Globe.
New features of the proposed bridge include: wider sidewalks, seating areas, a paved roadway and bike lanes.
Jayasinghe wants the bridge to have a new name – something other than the North Washington Street bridge; calling it that, “shows we have no imagination,” he told the Globe. “We can ask lots of people: What should we name this bridge?”
Current plans call for Jayasinghe’s bridge to be erected in the “footprint” of the existing North Washington Street bridge, which would be demolished. During construction, traffic-flows over the bridge, in both directions, would be maintained – a “critical” step, because hazardous materials aren’t allowed to be transported through the Interstate 93 tunnel, Ramos notes.
The North Washington Street bridge acts as a connector for visitors of Boston’s historic Freedom Trail. Citing welcomed-additions – wider sidewalks and more seating – Freedom Trail Foundation Executive Director Suzanne Taylor told the Globe that Jayasinghe’s bridge would make a “spectacular addition.”
The yet-to-be-unveiled design is the product of Rosales + Partners architect Miguel Rosales, who, according to the Globe, has spent the last year cranking on a concept that would “complement” the Zakim Bridge.
A member of the Charlestown neighborhood council told the Globe there’s interest in “preserving or restoring” the North Washington Street bridge – at the right price. But, in the end, whichever plan is best for Charlestown appears to have community support.
Jayasinghe will present his plans to the pulbic, various neighborhood groups and businesses in the coming weeks. He told the Globe he wants the new bridge to have a certain amount of flare, characteristics already possessed by the Zakim in spades. But making the bridge “flashy,” he said, could add to the overall cost.
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