Jump to content

New Charles River Bridge


Cotuit

Recommended Posts

Watertown gets new bridge partner

By Monica Deady/ Staff Writer

Friday, July 2, 2004

BlueHeronBridge.jpg

Blue Heron Bridge, a new pedestrian bridge linking Watertown and Newton, is placed over the Charles River. - STAFF PHOTO BY KEITH E. JACOBSON

Pedestrians hoping to walk from Watertown to Newton no longer have to clear the chaos of Watertown Square to make it there safely.

A new footbridge connecting the two towns was installed Tuesday, and once completed, will enable pedestrians to cross the Charles River between Bridge Street in Watertown's West End and Newton. It is also part of a new one-mile corridor built by the Department of Conservation and Recreation that will connect Watertown, Newton and eventually, Waltham.

The bridge, named Blue Heron Bridge, has a 104-foot span across the river, and weighs about 45,000 pounds.

Senior planner for the DCR Dan Driscoll said that the bridge is not accessible yet, since the floor has no been put on, but said it should be finished by late August. He said he expects all the work on the corridor in that area to be done by late October or early November.

"This was sort of the critical missing segment [of the Charles River pathway]," Driscoll said, since soon pedestrians and bikers can make a round trip from downtown Boston to this bridge, lengthening the trip by about six miles.

The one-mile corridor connecting the three communities cost about $2.2 million to create, Driscoll said. About $1.7 million came from a federal grant and the rest was paid for by the state.

"The design of the greenways above Watertown," Driscoll said, "they're designed to be self-sustaining natural environments, so the rustic appearance is intentional." He said their appearance is supposed to be different from that at the esplanade.

"It's like a wildlife refuge," Driscoll said.

From Watertown Tab & Press

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Replies 2
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Thanks, I gotta go check this out.

Don't you work near there or something? Can you get some pics, I'm really curious, I used to work on Galen Street and live in Waltham, I watched those Charles River Parks grow and it's nice to see progress is still being made.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.