Overview
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 deterioration so extensive they declared the structure unsafe. The bridge had to be immediately closed and vehicles detoured.
We are currently advancing two parallel efforts. One will provide a permanent replacement bridge for River Street. The other will repair the existing River Street Bridge to reopen it to vehicular traffic. More details on the bridge replace can be found on the bridge repair page.
About the replacement
River Street Bridge looking west towards the River Street, Gordon Street, and Business Street intersection.
The River Street Bridge is a wrought iron truss bridge built in 1883. It crosses the Amtrak and MBTA lines west of Cleary Square in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston. The bridge is an important connector for Hyde Park. It provides access to green space, local recreational facilities, shopping, and several schools.
The bridge also carries gas, electric, water, and telephone lines. Amtrak's electrified wires that power high-speed trains are also supported by the bridge. All the utilities make inspecting and taking care of the existing bridge difficult. As part of building the new bridge, MassDOT will move all utilities to a separate utility bridge. The Amtrak wires will move to their own support structures. This approach will make inspecting and maintaining the new bridge much easier. It will also be more durable over time with less disruptions for users.
During construction, the utility bridge will also carry bicyclists and pedestrians. This allows us to provide these users with a direct connection for most of construction. At the end of construction, bicycle and foot traffic will once again use the bridge. The utility structure will remain for utilities only.
MassDOT is currently advancing the replacement bridge design. A 25% design public hearing officially presenting the bridge and the proposed schedule was held on May 3rd 2023. It is anticipated that the 75% design level will be reached in January 2024.
Traffic
A vehicle detour remains in place during the bridge closure. The 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.
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.