Leverett Circle Connector Bridge

Leverett Circle Connector
Coordinates	42°22′09″N 71°03′53″W / 42.36909°N 71.06459°W / 42.36909; -71.06459Coordinates: 42°22′09″N 71°03′53″W / 42.36909°N 71.06459°W / 42.36909; -71.06459
Carries	highway access ramp
Crosses	Charles River
Locale	Boston, Massachusetts to Somerville, Massachusetts
Characteristics
Design	steel box girder bridge
History
Opened	1999-10-07

The Leverett Circle Connector Bridge is a highway bridge over the Charles River, carrying two lanes each of northbound and southbound traffic. It connects to Interstate 93 in Somerville, Massachusetts (the "Northeast Expressway") at the north end and splits at the south end, providing direct access to both Storrow Drive and Leverett Circle in Boston. The span was built in conjunction with the more dramatic Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge as part of the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, widely known as the Big Dig. During construction, the Leverett Circle Connector Bridge was sometimes called " Baby Bridge." The bridge opened for traffic on October 7, 1999,^[1] at a cost of $22.27 million.^[2]

Also known as the Storrow Drive Connector, it is the largest steel box girder bridge in the United States. It was the winner of a July 2001 National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA) "prize bridge" Award.^[3] Its weaving design was determined by the other major structures involved in the Big Dig but unlike other parts of the project, it was finished eight days ahead of schedule.^[2]

Gallery

• 

  Leverett Circle as seen behind North Station during Big Dig construction.

• 

  Part of the rebuilt connector bridge at right.

References