Longfellow Bridge is falling down, falling down? Sorta, but not really, state says. Which, as Michael Pahre recalls, is what the state said about the BU Bridge upriver:

Few people would likely disagree that the DCR (and its predecessor agencies) has a poor record in maintaining their infrastructure, although some blame could easily be pointed at the State Legislature and/or Governor for failure to allocate sufficient funding. But the DCR should do a better job at recognizing and reporting the condition of the infrastructure under their control, rather that making public misstatements or engaging in peculiar reporting practices. The public statements of DCR officials about the current condition of their bridges is straining their credibility.

Red Line service halted by Longfellow trash fire.

Globe: Heavy vehicles banned from bridge's left lanes.

Bonus explanatory journalism from a paper apparently unsure if most of its readers actually live in the Boston area:

The bridge - sometimes called the "salt and pepper bridge" because of its four towers that look like spice shakers ...

Yesterday afternoon's Red Line shutdown, the one a T mouthpiece initially described as "brief," got so bad that passengers trapped for an hour on a sweltering train on the Longfellow Bridge evacuated the train themselves. Lolita Parker Jr. posts some dramatic photos of the escape and adds:

I was on a train inside Kendall Station and, after waiting in a standing room only car (with no a/c) for over 30 minutes, we were running out of air. A number of middle school kids on the train were beginning to panic. A passenger forced open the door at the back of the train and dozens of people streamed up onto the street. I continued to walk Downtown but as I approached the Longfellow Bridge I saw another train filled with passengers just beginning to pile out of the doors and emergency exits. I took pictures and then when a woman fell in front of oncoming traffic, I blocked the traffic and to let folks dismount the train. Shame on the motorists who wouldn't stop to let the passengers cross the bridge.

Of course, one might just as equally say "Shame on the MBTA for trying to keep these people locked up in a broiling train for an hour."

The Globe described the breakout as unauthorized.

Lolita Parker Jr. got up early this morning to photograph the eclipse from the bridge.

Shutterscript goes out with a camera last night and discovers a world of color at the Longfellow Bridge:

... When I went out to take pictures tonight I expected the heavy cloud coverage would make for less than ideal conditions. My camera quickly proved me wrong. As I opened the camera up stop by stop I began to notice a myriad of colors appear. First blue, then pink, then orange, followed by the lush greenery of the foreground. Slightly perplexed I put my camera down and looked up at the sky. Was it my eyes or camera that was betraying me? I searched for the answer meticulously as my eyes panned the night before me.

The closer I looked the more I could see that it was I who was at fault. Directly above my oblivious self was one of the most beautiful skies I have ever seen. ...

A fire broke out under the tracks at Charles/MGH station on the Red Line at around 8pm this evening. As of 9:20pm, the second alarm has been called in, the third rail shut down, trains near the station evacuated and shuttle bus service has begun.

Expect disruptions to last through the end of service on 5/1.

EDIT: Red Line service was restored at 10:49pm.

This morning.

Jen Stewart says welcome to French Toast Season - even if nobody panicked:

... I went to Shaw's last night, to do a little 'Darn, I Shoulda Made a List the First Time' shopping, and lo and behold, the shelves, they were not devoid of milk, bread, OR eggs.

Yup is amused by the novelty of it all:

Later in the season, of course this will be old hat. But this morning I had to think to grab gloves, a hat, a scarf, an umbrella, is my scraper in the car, which lead to the enivitable Where are the shovels, are they where they're supposed to be, Do I have any salt left from last year, do I have de-icer and a shovel in my car, etc. ...

Sara Piaseczynski will be walking across the Longfellow Bridge pretty much every day for the next couple of months - and will post a skyline photo each day.

Charles Swift supports the project with a history of the bridge's predecessor, the West Boston Bridge.

Nina muses on the view out the window as her Red Line train crosses the Charles:

... There's something so peaceful and beautiful about the silence of the view as you pass over the Longfellow Bridge, the silent bustle of the cars passing on the Longfellow Bridge and on Storrow Drive across the river. And the silent giants that seem almost indifferent to their surrounding buildings which can't even hope to compare to the powerful height that the Pru and the John Hancock possess. It's completely mesmerizing for so many different reasons that I ponder every day to and from work. ...