Echo Bridge is a historic masonry bridge spanning the

Charles River The Charles River ( Massachusett: ''Quinobequin)'' (sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles) is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton to Boston along a highly meandering route, that doubles b ...

between Needham to

Newton Upper Falls Newton Upper Falls is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The area borders Needham, Massachusetts to the southwest, Wellesley, Massachusetts to the west, the West Roxbury nei ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

, and Ellis Street in Newton. The bridge carries the

Sudbury Aqueduct The Sudbury Aqueduct is an aqueduct in Massachusetts. It runs for from Farm Pond at Waverly Street in Framingham to Chestnut Hill Reservoir in Boston’s Chestnut Hill neighborhood. A later built extension main runs from the Farm Pond gateh ...

and foot traffic, and is located in the

Hemlock Gorge Reservation Hemlock Gorge Reservation is a state-owned, public recreation area and urban wild comprising on the Charles River in Newton and Needham, Massachusetts. The reservation is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. ...

. At the time of its construction in 1875–1877 it was the second longest masonry arch in the country. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1980, and was named an

American Water Landmark An American Water Landmark is a landmark within the United States, Canada, or Mexico that is a historic location and is associated in some way with water. The American Water Works Association has designated American Water Landmarks since 1969. T ...

in 1981.

Description

The bridge crosses over Hemlock Gorge where the Charles River passes over the

fall line A fall line (or fall zone) is the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet and is typically prominent where rivers cross it, with resulting rapids or waterfalls. The uplands are relatively hard crystalline basement rock, and the coa ...

in Newton Upper Falls. There are still old mill buildings in view from the bridge, but most of the gorge remains naturally overgrown with hemlocks. The bridge has two viewing locations, the pedestrian walk on top of the bridge and a platform underneath where visitors can hear the

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

ous echoes. Views include

white water Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and w ...

, a

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...

and the hemlock-lined gorge. The

including the gorge is maintained by the

Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. The DCR's mission i ...

. The bridge is located just off Route 9 where it crosses

Route 128 The following highways are numbered 128: Canada * New Brunswick Route 128 * Ontario Highway 128 (former) * Prince Edward Island Route 128 Costa Rica * National Route 128 India * National Highway 128 (India) Japan * Japan National Route 128 ...

. Despite being in the midst of a tangle of highways, the river itself is tree-lined and natural. The bridge is long, and consists of a series of seven arches. The longest of these, that crosses the Charles, has a span of , and is a segmented arch with a radius of and a crown of . Five of the arches span , while that spanning Ellis Street is . At its crown the bridge is approximately above the river. The bridge's foundations are made of granite resting on bedrock. The bridge was closed to the public for much of 2006 to permit repairs of the railings, which were decaying and which do not meet modern safety codes. Because of the cost of rebuilding the historic railings, chain link fencing was installed on each side, allowing the bridge to be reopened. This fencing was later replaced by a set of modern railings inside the historic railings. Efforts are underway to secure funding to reconstruct the historic railings. File:Echo Bridge P1040028.jpg, Walkers on the bridge before it was closed for railing repairs in 2006 File:Echo Bridge P1040091.jpg, The bridge closed for repairs File:Echo Bridge P1020026.jpg, The bridge reopened with temporary protective fencing File:Echo Bridge IMG 20180916 103833060.jpg, Protective railings next to the historic railings The aqueduct, which has been serving only as an emergency backup for some years, was reactivated during a state of emergency declared on May 1, 2010. The line was used to carry clean water to parts of 38 communities affected by a catastrophic failure elsewhere in the MWRA system.

Photo gallery

File:Echo Bridge Aerial Photo.jpg, Aerial view of the bridge and Hemlock Gorge File:Echo Bridge IMG 6465.jpg, Winter view from upstream File:Echo Bridge P1040046.jpg, Spring view from downstream File:Newton upper falls.jpg, The Silk Mill Dam, viewed from Echo Bridge File:Echo Bridge P1000434.jpg, The bridge from the "echo platform" on the Newton side

References

External links

The Friends of Hemlock GorgeHemlock Gorge Reservation
Newton Conservators
The science behind the arch's echo
* * * {{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =

, bridge = Echo Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream =

Silk Mill Dam Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...

, upstream signs = , downstream =

Metropolitan Circular Dam Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

, downstream signs = National Register of Historic Places in Newton, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Cambridge, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Norfolk County, Massachusetts Bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Bridges on the National Register of Historic Places Water transportation buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places Bridges completed in 1877 Bridges over the Charles River Buildings and structures in Newton, Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Needham, Massachusetts Bridges in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Bridges in Norfolk County, Massachusetts Historic American Engineering Record in Massachusetts Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts Arch bridges in the United States 1877 establishments in Massachusetts

Description

Photo gallery

See also

References

External links