About the project
The River Street Bridge goes over the Amtrak and MBTA lines in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston. Built in 1883, the bridge has been repaired many times in the last 100 years.
In May 2022, MassDOT conducted a routine inspection of the bridge. Inspectors found major deterioration to the bridge resulting in carrying capacity concerns. The bridge was immediately closed, and vehicles detoured.
We are currently advancing two parallel efforts. One will repair the existing River Street Bridge. MassDOT expects to reopen the bridge in 2024. The other will provide a permanent replacement bridge for River Street. More details on the bridge replace can be found on the bridge replacement page.
Sidewalk of the River Street Bridge looking west towards the River Street, Gordon Street, and Business Street intersection
Since 2016, MassDOT has made repairs to the bridge when needed, spending around $2.5 million to keep it safe for traffic. In May 2022, a routine inspection found key parts of the bridge had deteriorated to the point of making the bridge unsafe for vehicles. MassDOT immediately closed the bridge and detoured all vehicle traffic. Although closed to vehicles, the bridge remains open to bicyclists and pedestrians.
In August 2022, MassDOT completed the designs for the repairs. Based on the extensive repairs needed it was going to take about one year to complete everything. At the same time, MassDOT was advancing the design to replace the bridge. The schedule indicated that construction could begin as early as the fall of 2023. Based on this timeline, MassDOT chose to keep the bridge closed and not complete the repairs. MassDOT shared this information with the Hyde Park community in October 2022.
Over the past several months the bridge replacement design has continued to progress. As railroad coordination has advanced, it has created a high probability of delaying the start of construction.
MassDOT recognizes the bridge closure has real impacts on the Hyde Park community. In light of the delays, MassDOT cannot ask Hyde Park to live with a longer closure than what shared in fall 2022.
As such, MassDOT will invest in repairing the River Street Bridge. Our goal is to reopen it to traffic in 2024. The contractor will continue to provide access for local businesses during the repairs. Bicyclists and pedestrians will also be able to cross the bridge. Regular updates about construction progress will be provided on this website and emails. To sign up to receive updates via email, visit the GovDelivery site.
Traffic and Construction Updates: April 29th to May 10th
Construction
Work completed in the past two weeks:
- Demolition and removal of the existing bridge deck pans: 90%
- Demolition and removal of the existing bridge beams and stringers: 85%
- Bridge floor beam repairs: 80%
Work anticipated for the next two weeks:
- Demolition and removal of the existing bridge deck pans.
- Demolition and removal of the existing bridge beams and stringers.
- Repair of bridge floor beams.
- Removal of the deck pans, beams, and stringers includes the use of small equipment to dismantle the components and trucks to haul the resulting debris away. Descaling (removing rust) and removal bridge bolts includes the use of hammers and chipping guns. Noise levels will be slightly elevated above normal traffic operations.
Planned work hours for the next two weeks:
- Overnight – 9PM-5AM.
- Exact overnight hours may vary based on available Amtrak support.
- 5 hours per night for operations which require catenary to be turned off.
Traffic
Two vehicle detours remain in place during the bridge closure:
- The northern (towards Forest Hills) detour uses the West Street Bridge to cross the train tracks. Summer Street carries northbound traffic. Austin Street carries traffic going south. Both streets connect to Gordon Avenue and then to River Street.
- The southern (towards Readville) detour uses the Reservation Road Bridge to cross the train tracks. Reservation Road connects to Business Street which connects with River Street opposite Gordon Avenue.
- Both sidewalks on the River Street Bridge are open to cyclists and pedestrians.
- A closure of the north (towards Forest Hills) sidewalk on the bridge is currently planned to begin on Saturday May 11th. During the closure, access to businesses on River Street between Hyde Park Avenue and the bridge will be maintained, but through bicycle and pedestrian traffic will need to use the south sidewalk. Cyclists are asked to dismount while crossing the bridge. More information about the closure will be provided in the look-ahead covering May 10th to May 24th.
All businesses in Cleary Square remain open and ready to serve you.
Detour map for the River Street Bridge closure
Recognizing there are few options for a detour, MassDOT and the City of Boston worked together to set the most reasonable route around the closed bridge. To help reduce impacts to the detour route we have reached out to groups serving truckers to ask that they avoid the detour if possible. In addition, detour signs have been weather-proofed so they will stay easy to read in all conditions and MassDOT repaved the Fairmount Avenue Bridge to give drivers on this alternate route a smoother ride. In response to community requests, MassDOT has added signs further away from the bridge to help disperse traffic. Electric detour signs are routinely checked by the agency to ensure they are working as they should.
If you have questions or concerns about the detour, please contact us.