Charles River Dam Bridge
| Charles River Dam Bridge | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°22′05″N 71°04′15″W / 42.3680°N 71.0708°WCoordinates: 42°22′05″N 71°04′15″W / 42.3680°N 71.0708°W |
| Carries | six lanes of traffic ( Route 28), two sidewalks |
| Crosses | Charles River at mile 1.0 |
| Locale | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Maintained by | Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation |
| ID number | 160134 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | steel bascule bridge |
| Total length | 25.0 m (82.0 ft) |
| Width | 25.6 m (84.0 ft) |
| Longest span | 19.2 m (63.0 ft) |
| Clearance below | 4.6 m (15 ft) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1910 |
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The Charles River Dam Bridge, officially the Craigie Bridge , also called Craigie's Bridge or the Canal Bridge, is a six-lane bascule bridge across the Charles River, connecting Leverett Circle in downtown Boston, to Monsignor O'Brien Highway in East Cambridge, Massachusetts. The bridge, maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR, formerly the MDC), carries Route 28 next to the Green Line's Lechmere Viaduct. The bridge is fully within Boston, with the city line to the north, at the center of the original river. The Museum of Science is located on the dam and nearby piers.
The original lock for the Charles River was just west of the Charles River Dam Bridge, but the lock services was relocated east to the Charles River Dam and incorporated as three parallel locks on the site of the old Warren Bridge.
The former lock at the Charles River Dam Bridge now allows water and small ships to flow freely. Taller ships require the opening of the drawbridge, operated by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
The first bridge on the site was known as the Canal Bridge, named after the Middlesex Canal which ran from the Charlestown Mill Pond to Middlesex Village in East Chelmsford Massachusetts; later p/o Lowell. As an investment, businessman Andrew Craigie purchased the largely undeveloped farmland on the Cambridge side around Lechmere Point from various owners (including Mary Lechmere and heirs) in preparation for building the bridge. The investors incorporated in 1807 with a charter to build a bridge from Leverett Street in the West End, Boston to the eastern end of Lechmere Point. One-third of shares were owned by the Middlesex Canal Corporation.
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