The Congress Street Bridge is a

bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. It carries Congress Street across the

Fort Point Channel Fort Point Channel is a maritime channel adjacent to Boston, Massachusetts. The channel separates South Boston from Downtown Boston and feeds into Boston Harbor. The channel is surrounded by the Fort Point neighborhood, which is also named a ...

, from the city's

Financial District A financial district is usually a central area in a city where financial services firms such as banks, insurance companies, and other related finance corporations have their headquarters offices. In major cities, financial districts often host ...

South Boston South Boston (colloquially known as Southie) is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay (Boston Harbor), Dorchester Bay. It has under ...

. The bridge is well-known to tourists due to the

Boston Tea Party The Boston Tea Party was a seminal American protest, political and Mercantilism, mercantile protest on December 16, 1773, during the American Revolution. Initiated by Sons of Liberty activists in Boston in Province of Massachusetts Bay, colo ...

Ships & Museum being located near the mid-point of the crossing, accessible via a sidewalk.

History

Boston's Congress Street was extended across

in 1874 by way of a

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that can be rotated horizontally around a vertical axis. It has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravit ...

. That bridge was removed in 1929, and replaced in 1930 by the current

. The bridge was deemed complete on January 6, 1931, with a reported cost of $765,041 . The lifting section of the bridge has been welded shut since the 1970s. Notable attractions in the area include

Boston Children's Museum Boston Children's Museum is a children's museum in Boston, Massachusetts, dedicated to the education of children. Located on Children's Wharf along the Fort Point Channel, Boston Children's Museum is the second oldest children's museum in the ...

and the

Hood Milk Bottle Boston Children's Museum is a children's museum in Boston, Massachusetts, dedicated to the education of children. Located on Children's Wharf along the Fort Point Channel, Boston Children's Museum is the second oldest children's museum in the U ...

, located at the east end of the bridge, and the

Ships & Museum, located near the center of the bridge. The Tea Party museum, which first opened in 1973, originally occupied what had been the

bridge tender's house A bridge tender's house is a structure near or upon a moveable bridge A moveable bridge, or movable bridge, is a bridge that moves to allow passage for boats or barges. In American English, the term is synonymous with , and the latter is t ...

. The museum's gift shop burned in a fire on August 3, 2001, which was late attributed to a lightning strike. The facility remained closed, and another fire on August 27, 2007, consumed the main building. That fire was accidentally ignited by sparks from welders working on the Congress Street Bridge. A new structure was subsequently built for the Tea Party museum, which opened in June 2012.

Gallery

References

External links

Congress Street Bridge
at structurae.net
Congress Street Bridge
at historicbridges.org
Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum
{{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =

, bridge = Congress Street Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream =

Summer Street Bridge The Summer Street Bridge is a retractile bridge built in 1899 in Boston, Massachusetts, over the Fort Point Channel. It still stands, but has served as a fixed bridge since 1959. This was the site of the Summer Street Bridge disaster in 1916. ...

, upstream signs = , downstream = Silver Line Way (tunnel) , downstream signs = {{rint, boston, silver, icon Bascule bridges in the United States Road bridges in Massachusetts Bridges in Boston Seaport District Fort Point, Boston Bridges completed in 1931 1931 establishments in Massachusetts Historic American Engineering Record in Massachusetts

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links