State closes Longfellow Bridge sidewalk
I just got this press release from the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR):
DCR CLOSES LONGFELLOW BRIDGE SIDEWALK
Bridge to be closed to spectators on the Fourth of July
The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) today closed the sidewalk on the west side of the Longfellow Bridge until further notice, after an inspection late Thursday night discovered a support beam in need of immediate repair. Pedestrians will be detoured to the opposite sidewalk, which remains open.
The inspection was conducted by DCR engineers after a consultant’s report determined that load distributions on the sidewalks should continue to be evaluated. The DCR inspection revealed that the upstream sidewalk (the side carrying Cambridge-to-Boston vehicular traffic) needed to be closed to all pedestrians due to serious deterioration of a steel support structure under the sidewalk.
“Nothing is more important to this agency than public safety,” said DCR Commissioner Richard K. Sullivan Jr. “We have been conducting inspections and repairs on the Longfellow bridge nearly every day since last August, and the minute we see a problem, we take the action necessary to protect the public.’’
On April 30, the engineering firm of Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) began conducting load testing on the Longfellow Bridge sidewalks. The portions of the bridge tested, which did not include the segment where the deteriorated support beam was discovered last night, showed they were capable of supporting normal loads. But in a report DCR received this week, SGH suggested large crowds should not be allowed to gather on the sidewalks without further load testing. Specifically, SGH recommended that the sidewalks be closed for the Fourth of July celebration.
“Based on the SGH recommendation and today’s decision on the sidewalk, DCR will close the entire Longfellow Bridge to spectators on July 4,” Sullivan said. “We recognize this is an enormously popular local, and even national, event, but our top priority is ensuring public safety.”
Under the Patrick administration, DCR has spent more than $1 million on inspections and $4.5 million on repairs to the bridge since August 2007. More than 200 jack beams have been replaced, and more than 180 railing brackets have been repaired.
The agency estimates that 60 percent of the anticipated repairs have been completed, with full completion expected this fall. A final bridge load rating will be conducted as soon as all the repairs have been completed.
Governor Deval Patrick has directed DCR to advance the start date for full rehabilitation of the Longfellow Bridge from 2020 to 2010, under his proposed $3 billion Accelerated Structurally Deficient Bridge Improvement Program now before the Legislature.
Traditionally, the Longfellow Bridge has been closed to vehicular traffic on July 4, and thousands of spectators gather on the bridge to watch the fireworks and festivities at the Hatch Shell and along the Esplanade.
“We respect and fully support DCR’s decision to ensure public safety on the Longfellow Bridge,” said Rich MacDonald of Boston 4 Productions, the organization that stages the Boston Pops fireworks spectacular on July 4th. “We encourage the public to utilize the many other viewing areas for fireworks along the Charles River in both Cambridge and Boston.”
In the coming weeks, DCR will work with event organizers and other state agencies to develop a management plan for the July 4 closure. The agency will communicate all of the details to the public ahead of time.
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For immediate release: June 6, 2008
Contact: Wendy Fox 617-626-1453
It's just as well
Last time I jogged over it, I noticed the Red Line was moving really slowly, which seemed like trouble. So I took a good look at the bridge I've run across so many times. The railing is rusted and broken in many places and is missing chunks of iron. The footings for the railing, where the posts anchor, are crumbled and cracked in many places.
I don't know anything about bridges, but my common sense was telling me the whole damn thing is unsafe. Maybe I wasn't far wrong.
Carpundit
Red Line closing, June 14-15 and 21-22
They're closing the Red Line between Park St and Kendall on the next two weekends to replace deteriorating railroad ties. I don't think it's a smart idea to send huge numbers of substitute buses over the bridge during that time. Why not divert the buses (and passengers) from Kendall to Lechmere?
It's going to make a big mess on June 14, a day that features both the Gay Pride festival and the Cambridge River Festival.
Camb to Boston ties.
I was looking at the ties heading into Boston from
Kendall, for just this reason. There are a bunch
of them marked with orange flourescent paint.
Am guessing that these are the ones to be replaced.
So far, Deval has looked to me like all sizzle and
no steak. But if he could actually pull off something
as substantial (and high visibility) as kickstarting
an infrastructure recovery program by leading with
this bridge, I would be willing to reconsider.
A Radical Idea
Close the bridge to all motor vehicles except trains and emergency vehicles (MGH bound ambulances), and permit cycling and walking.
And completely close a major
And completely close a major artery into downtown and connection between Boston and Cambridge? No way.
Pooor drivers!
so much better to make people walk four extra miles to get across the river than make drivers use far better routes by the Museum of Science or Mass Ave.
Right. Great thinking that.
Other Longfellow sidewalk is still open
the north (east) sidewalk of the Longfellow is still open for pedestrians. I just edited the post to bold this information.
Instead of being snarky, you
Instead of being snarky, you should read the entire post first. The other side of the bridge is open to walkers. As for overall, if you want to close the bridge to cars, that's your perogative, but I think that would be a bad idea and make little sense.
Have you ever walked this bridge?
It is difficult to cross over to get to the other side to walk. This is no small inconvenience, unless they plan to post crossing guards at either end.
It is also crumbling and more traffic means less time to fix it.
Cars can go around, people often cannot. This isn't a pleasure walk, either. It is a commuter route.
Crossing to the other sidewalk
At the Boston end, it's pretty easy: you just walk across the rotary past the new T station entrance.
At the Cambridge end, it's not so great. You have to walk down a flight of stairs to the Memorial Drive sidewalk, go under the bridge, then up another flight of stairs back to the bridge.
just ... walk ... across ... the ... rotary
=8O
Ron, where ya been? Wasn't there a discussion recently about motorists ignoring the lights near the new hotel? It isn't just crossing the rotary, it is navigating several ramps where the lights are flashing yellow/red and motorists are entering/exiting a high speed roadway.
I remember when the Mass Ave bridge was half closed to reduce traffic loads, creating a defacto bike path. I don't see why they don't limit the Longfellow. It was never built for modern traffic anyway. Too bad if some people find structural limitations an inconvenience for their driving habits. Getting traffic loading off this ancient structure makes far more sense than making it a walking nightmare.
I commute on foot by this
I commute on foot by this route every day, and I can say from experience that it's much easier to walk down, under, and up, than to try and navigate that intersection coming off of the rotary on the Boston side.
Many times including this
Many times including this past week. I don't think it's very hard to cross from one side to the other to get onto the bridge, having done it with little difficulty before. Either way, I don't really think closing it to cars is the answer, unless it's an absolute last resort, but in that scenario they'd probably have to close to everyone as is.
Cars and trucks = weight and damage
The span was never designed for modern traffic loadings. Pedestrians do negligible damage to the structure (save for 4th of July mobs ...). The vehicles, including trucks, are causing accelerated deterioration to the structure.
I know you think it is inconvenient, but it isn't about convenience. It is about safety and preservation of the structure until the state can get its act together. Cars and trucks are causing the damage, not pedestrians.
There are three other ways across the river and the two nearest were recently rehabilitated.
Not better by far
As someone who drives either Memorial Drive/Commercial Drive/Edwin Land Boulevard or Monsignor O'Brien every day (depending on where traffic is backed up on any given day) to get to and from work, those routes are not better by far. Most days the intersections on Memorial Drive by the Galleria, Binney and Monsignor are completely gridlocked. I don't believe it would be an effective solution to close all of Longfellow Bridge and divert traffic in those directions at all.
It's actually not that busy of a crossing
compared to Mass Av and the Charles River Dam crossings. I read recently that many times more people cross the Longfellow by train than by automobile on a daily basis.
probably even more so now
probably even more so now that main st. is pinched off at both ends
Well...
They're gonna have to do something. When they did the
Mass Ave bridge lo these many years ago, they shutdown
one half, fixed it, then reversed. Seemed like a
wicked smahhht idea. Of course, there was no Red Line
to deal with on that one.
If Patrick made this one a centerpiece of an infrastructure
rebuild, he could really make some traction. And the Globe
could explain to all of Boston why, in fact, it is called
the Salt and Pepper Bridge yet again.
Observations
Rode over the bridge on the red line today and saw the closed sidewalk. And then saw all the walkers and joggers using the bike lane to walk across that side of the bridge....
New temporary fencing on the Longfellow
This morning, there was red plastic temporary fencing the entire length of the bridge, between the eastbound travel lane and the now-closed sidewalk. Looks like the state has accepted the fact that people are going to walk across the bridge no matter what, and they just want to make sure we don't hop up onto the possibly-dangerous sidewalk.
what about a compromise
I agree that it's not trivial to cross to the other side sidewalk- that's why no one uses it now. There's no signage to tell pedestrians how to get there- just signs saying sidewalk closed. So pedestrians are just walking in the bike lane, which is unsafe for pedestrians and bikers alike. There actually isn't that much car traffic going from Cambridge to Boston (at least in morning rush hour). They could close one lane of the bridge to create a pedestrian/ bike path without much inconveniencing drivers.
If you're a user of this sidewalk or bike lane, please contact DCR and let them know that what they're doing now is not a safe solution!
does moving slowly make
does moving slowly make something weigh less?
if the concrete isn't sound, how does moving slow make any difference at all?
from the globe:
BOSTON -- The discovery by federal transportation officials that inspectors failed to check concrete supports on the Longfellow Bridge has prompted a slowdown on the MBTA's Red Line.
But the Boston Globe reports that inspectors failed to test the concrete that supports the train tracks.
That prompted the Federal Highway Administration to demand a slowdown from the usual 40 mph to 10 mph. Heavy trucks are also banned.
The slowdown will continue at least through the end of the month.
Static versus Dynamic Loading
No, it doesn't weigh less when it moves slower.
Yes, moving slowly does reduce the stress.
How?
A dead weight is a "static load" ... it sits there, it is stable, etc. A stopped train puts static loading on a bridge.
Moving trains cause vibrations in a structure. These vibrations cause stress in the structure. The faster the train moves, the more the stress on the structure due to that movement (omitting harmonic vibrations, etc. for those structure nerds out there ...). Hence the speed limit.
wow...
I asked the right crowd :)
one in the crowd stands out
Yeah, in spite of all all the grief and condescending posts she gets, Swirrly is an impressive and knowledgeable woman.
But then, why not limit cars to 10 mph too?
If faster-moving trains cause more stress on the bridge, doesn't that also apply to cars and trucks?
haven't trucks been banned
haven't trucks been banned from using the bridge?
Some trucks, not all
And buses can't be banned because whenever the T shuts down the Red Line, the substitute buses use the bridge.
two routes
Whether buses are or are not banned, they COULD be banned because there is more than one bridge over the Charles.
Cars and Trucks
Cars don't weigh nearly as much as a train does, so they don't create the same stress situations.
Trucks have been severely restricted for similar reasons.