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North Washington Street Bridge Brought Elevated Rail to Charlestown

The structure was preceded by the Charles River and Warren bridges.

Connecting the new settlement of Charlestown with the Boston mainland was paramount. As early as 1630 a ferry carried passengers between the two points. By 1781 there were four boats, two docked at each side of the Charles River. The ferry was run by Harvard College. In 1786, when the Charles River Bridge opened, there were 17,000 people living in Boston and 1,200 in Charlestown. Perhaps the first public bridge in the country, the Charles River Bridge was built as a toll bridge with private funds. According to "The Ferry, the Charles-River Bridge and the Charlestown Bridge," published in the late 1800s by the Boston Transit Commission, to cross the bridge each foot passenger paid 2/3 of a penny; one person and one horse paid 2 pence and 2/…

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Helen O'Neil

5:25 pm on Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Thanks for your comment, Mary Kay. It's a great story to tell.   more ›

Police, Protesters Standoff at Charlestown Bridge

On Monday, thousands of demonstrators marched toward the Charlestown Bridge as part of the Occupy Boston protest -- but they were halted by police.

The protesters who have set up camp in Dewey Square and on a patch of grass on the Rose Kennedy Greenway almost brought their movement to Charlestown on Monday afternoon -- but they were stopped by Boston Police as they made their way toward the Charlestown Bridge. Occupy Boston has generally been a statement against Wall Street and for the "99 percent" -- average Americans that they say are suffering at the hands of corporate and financial corruption.  But on Monday, the movement was joined by Right to the City and Charlestown-based MassUniting, and the groups focused their message on the American Jobs ActProtesters marched deliberately to the Charlestown Bridge to highlight how its among the many bridges, tunnels and highways that have …

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More Lane Closures Announced for the Charlestown Bridge

Crews will be working on deck repairs on Aug. 22-24.

There will be a temporary lane reduction on the Charlestown (or North Washington Street) Bridge, starting Monday, Aug. 22, according to the Boston Transportation Department.   The east (outbound) lanes of the bridge will be closed each evening beginning at 7 p.m. so crews can resume work on deck repairs. The west (inbound) lanes will be converted to accommodate two-way traffic during the closure. All lanes of the bridge will reopen each morning beginning at 6 a.m. Work should conclude on Wednesday, Aug. 24. 

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