Novemer 5, 2010 - April 2011
Craigie Drawbridge at Leverett Circle

MassDOT will begin reconstruction of the Craigie Drawbridge near Leverett Circle. The work is scheduled to take up to six-months and will require the closure of all inbound travel lanes over the Craigie Drawbridge into Leverett Circle. Outbound traffic lanes from Leverett Circle into Cambridge will remain open during construction.

TRAVEL UPDATE: Effective Sunday, January 8th, MassDOT will close all inbound (from Cambridge to Boston) travel lanes on Route 28 southbound at the intersection of Land Boulevard. The southbound lane closure will last through early April. The Craigie bridge carries McGrath O'Brien highway (Route 28) between Land Blvd. in Cambridge and Leverett Circle in Boston.

The more that people commute by bike, walk, public trasit, vanpool, or carpool, the easier it will be to travel over and around the Charle River Basin area. The following is a list of options available aimed at making your commute through the area a bit less stressful.

• MBTA - traveling from East Cambridge, Arlington, Somerville into Lechmere Station via bus and transfering to Green Line
  • Bus 69 - Harvard/Holyoke Gate to Lechmere
  • Bus 80 - Arlington Center to Lechmere
  • Bus 87 Arlington Center or Clarendon Hill to Lechmere
  • Bus 88 - Clarendon Hill to Lechmere
  • Bus 92 - Assembly Square Mall to Downtown
• Vanpools - click for a list of vanpools travel into Boston from points north, west, and south of the city.
• Ridematching - find potential matches for carpooling
• Private Bus Operators - a full list of private bus operators traveling into Boston from points north, west, and south

Want an extra 50 bucks?

ABC TMA wants to make your decision to get out of your car during construction just a bit more enticing. Join a carpool, vanpool, MBTA express bus, or private bus carrier between October 15, 2010 and February 28, 2011, ABC TMA will reward you with an extra $50* during your second month of participation. That's on top of our existing incentives that reward you between $200-$300, just for switching from driving alone.

Register today!

• Fill 'er Up Carpool Subsidy: $210 in free gas + $50*
• Vanpool Seat Subsidy: $220 in commuter checks + $50*
• Express Yourself Transit/Boat Subsidy: $300+ in commuter checks + $50*

*$50 to be provided via gas card or commuter check

While access for cyclists will remain open across the Craigie Bridge at all times during construction extra caution must be used when traveling through an active construction zone. For those individuals that would like to use an alternative route during construction the following map will provide you with a few options.
View Craigie Bridge Construction and Beyond in a larger map

Bike route inbound (from Cambridge to Boston)
On November 5th, the inbound drawbridge including the sidewalk will be out of commission.
Bicyclist traveling inbound will need to cross with pedestrians at the Museum of Science and walk or respectively ride on the north - east sidewalk to cross the bridge.

Bike route inbound DETOUR (west of McGrath Hwy)
For origins west of McGrath Hwy, bike to Kendall Square (Main at Third) in Cambridge and follow Main Street over the Longfellow Bridge to Charles Circle.

Bike route inbound DETOUR (east of McGrath Hwy)
For origins east of McGrath Hwy, bike to Thompson Square (Main at Austin)
-Proceed on Main Street
-Left on City Square
-Right on Chelsea Street
-Left on Rutherford / Washington
-Proceed over the Charlestown Bridge
An alternative option to the Charlestown Bridge is walking your bike through the Paul Revere park locks (opposite corner of Chelsea and Rutherford Hwy).

Bike route outbound (Boston to Cambridge)
On November 5th, the inbound drawbridge including the sidewalk will be out of commission.
Bicyclist traveling outbound can ride on the road as usual.

Bike route outbound DETOUR (west of McGrath Hwy)
For destinations west of McGrath Hwy, bike to Charles Circle (Cambridge at Storrow) and proceed over the Longfellow Bridge to Third Street.

Bike route outbound DETOUR (East of McGrath Hwy)
For destinations east of the McGrath Hwy, bike to Commercial at Washington and proceed over the Charlestown Bridge.
-Right on Chelsea
-Left on Warren to Thompson Square
An alternative to to the Charlestown bridge is walking your bike through the Paul Revere Park locks which you can access from Beverly Street (just to the right of the Zakim Bridge)

Created ninety years ago from tidal marshes and mud flats, the Charles River Basin operates as a complex transportation and linkage system. This area serves as a host to many historic and natural resources, including parks, shared use pathways, public boat landings, boat houses, recreational facilities and leading higher educational institutions.

Bridge Rehabilitation Projects currently under construction or in design include:

• Craigie Dam Bridge and Craigie Drawbridge
• Longfellow Bridge
• Boston University Bridge
• Western Avenue Bridge
• Anderson Memorial Bridge
• Magazine Street Pedestrian Bridge

The historic Charles River Basin bridges provide critical connections in and out of Boston for a wide range of users, including businesses, universities, hospitals, bicyclists, pedestrians, and drivers. The bridges are important evacuation routes and serve countless recreational users along the Charles River. To ensure that impacts are managed and minimized the following steps have been taken by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT):

MassDOT developed an extensive community involvement process for all basin projects. During the environmental review and design phase, the agency will schedule periodic public meetings with stakeholders in Boston and Cambridge, including residential, commercial and institutional abutters and recreational users of the river and parkland such as boaters and rowers, to provide updates and gather input. Project updates and advisories are planned for the construction phase.

Visit MassDOT to view the entire project history.