Every day, 30,000 cars travel between Boston and Cambridge on the Longfellow Bridge, but for the next three and a half years, Cambridge-bound drivers will be forced to find another way across the Charles River.
The Longfellow Bridge is set to undergo its first major facelift in more than 50 years. The overhaul will shore up the 105-year-old span and preserve the granite towers that inspire its nickname, the “Salt-and-Pepper Shaker Bridge”.
Weekday Red Line service will be unaffected– but starting this week, only cars bound for Boston are allowed across the Longfellow. If you’re heading to Cambridge, MassDOT suggests taking Charles Street past the Museum of Science. Or head about a mile down Storrow Drive to the Mass Ave. Bridge.
According to Google maps, the detours only add a few minutes, but that doesn’t take into account the added congestion
The project will take place in phases, shifting the Boston-bound lane from one side of the bridge to the other. Cambridge commuters will have to get used to taking the long way home.
On Greater Boston, former Boston city councilor Tom Keane and the executive director of LivableStreets, Jackie Douglas, discussed the detours:
We want to hear from you. How will the Longfellow closure impact you: is it a necessary evil, or should the state find a better way to repair the bridge?
