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Fogged in

Bridge to Nothingness

Liz photographed one end of the Long Island Bridge during last night's fog.

Copyright Liz. Posted in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.

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Comments

Great pic, but I find it kind of weird that the only way you can cross this bridge as a non city employee is either to be homeless or a kid going to the day camp on the island.

The views from the island are beautiful. There is the old hospital on the island which is used as a homeless shelter. (If you ever see a bus by BMC or on the Expressway which says Route 276, this is where they are going).

There is also a graveyard, a light house, wooded areas, plus one cliff area just over the bridge to the north.

You are not allowed to see these places because you have a fixed address, you work for the City's Department of Health, or are not poor and 11 years old.

You used to be able to wave at the gate on Moon Island, drive past the BPD gun range, the former sewer pools, past the fire fighting training area, and then go across the bridge. Not no more you ain't.

It may be about crowds or traffic or whatever, but shouldn't we the people be allowed to take in the resources of the island without being homeless?

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I wouldn't cross this bridge. I'm not sure why an MBTA bus is deemed able to cross, but I would NOT want to cross this bridge. It is one of the worst in the state. With sea water lapping at it, it's safe to say it needs replacing. But it is a longgggg bridge, and that is some big money!

I imagine having multiple vehicles on the bridge at once would cause structural damage or collapse. I bet the MBTA buses can only go one at a time.

Anyway: this pic is AWESOME! So spooky!

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They do only allow one bus at a time, and it has to be one of the older RTS buses, because they don't weigh as much as the newer buses.

There is a fire house on Long Island, and the fire department bought a used 30+ year old ladder truck a few years ago to assign there, also because it is lighter than the more modern equipment and can make it across the bridge.

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Patch repairs were to cost $3 million. It has been estimated it would take $40 to $50 million to rebuild the span.
http://www.patriotledger.com/topstories/x166457171...

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I went out to that lighthouse almost 40 years ago, and even then, we had to get permission to go out for a photo class. A couple of reasons they might not want people out there: It's right under an approach to Logan. You can just about count the rivets on the planes.
And the sewage flats aren't a place you'd want to have a picnic.

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The planes are much lower over Castle Island. Everyone is allowed to walk around there.

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There is also an abandoned WWII era fort...
http://www.bostonharborbeacon.com/2013/07/21/the-f...

Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands (FBHI.org) occasionally obtains permission from the city to bring folks out on a tour. It's a creepy place, but scenic.

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I've always been fascinated by the bridge. I haven't been able to find much info about it online, apart from that it was built in 1950-51. It's one of the longest bridges in New England and must have cost a lot to build at the time. How much longer before it needs to be replaced or torn down?

I also don't know why it is closed to the public. I would love to ride over the bridge and around the island, seeing how it's the only Harbor island you can get to without a boat. (Excluding Deer Island.)

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I tried biking to Long Island years ago, but was turned away at the gate. Deer Island however, is a wonderful place to bike; there's a wide pathway circling the edge of the island, and the view from the top of the "mountain" is spectacular!

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Try loking for "Long Island viaduct" not "Long Island bridge"

Boston Public Library has a sketch "Long Island viaduct for the City of Boston connecting with Moon Island, Squantum, & Neponset. Street laying out department, Thomas F. McGovern"
http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library...

"Placing span No. 3"
Merritt-Chapman & Scott Corp. Long Island viaduct. Neg. #21; Handwritten note on item: Long Island viaduct for the City of Boston. Plans - Thomas F. McGovern, engineer.
Date 1-6-51 Alred A Johnson
http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library...

"Tug pushing barge with section of Long Island viaduct" It also has a "Bethleham" sihn on it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24029425@N06/8618711807

"Section of the Long Island viaduct, on barge at Commonwealth Pier 4" dated 1950
http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library...

"Causeway - looking toward Moon Island"
Dated 8/4/50 Photo by C. F. Dixon. The truck has words "White" on it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24029425@N06/5640696294

"Moon Island abutment, third pour"
Dated 8/4/50 Photo by C. F. Dixon.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24029425@N06/5640696244

"Redi-mix concrete"
"Merritt-Chapman & Scott Corp. Long Island viaduct. Neg. #3;" dated 8/30/50. Trucks are Boston Sand and Gravel.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library...

"Redi-mix concrete"
"Merritt-Chapman & Scott Corp. Long Island viaduct. Neg. #1;" dated 8/30/50. Trucks are Boston Sand and Gravel.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library...

"False work piers 7-8-9"
Date 7/13/50. Photo by C. F. Dixon.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library...

There was some work done by ASEC Corp in 1997
"The project consisted of one mile of roadway and side slope reconstruction on Moon Island Road in Boston. The badly deteriorated side slopes were replaced with a stone paved blanket for stabilization and elimination of progressive erosion due to wave action. Roadway reconstruction included full depth construction on portions of the existing roadway, cold planning and paving on the remaining portion. New guardrail and street lighting throughout the entire corridor was designed and installed. "
http://www.aseccorp.com/LIViaduct.htm

I also found this on a message board
"As early on as 1997, the bridge to Long Island, also known as the Long Island Viaduct, built in 1950 and dedicated by U.S. Secretary of Labor Maurice J. Tobin in 1951, was deemed in need of serious repair due to concerns about its structural integrity. Mayor Thomas Menino of Boston had asked the state for help to fund necessary repairs. Acting Governor of Massachusetts Jane Swift allocated $29,000,000 to its repair. In 2003, these funds were diverted elsewhere, to other unrelated "higher priority" projects, by the new Governor, Mitt Romney. In the Summer of 2007, the bridge to Long Island was still in disrepair, due to continued rusting and salt-water corrosion of the underlying structural elements. Limits were again imposed on how much weight could be tolerated at one time, and hence, the vehicular traffic across it was seriously curtailed and staggered. The problems had worsened over the years since very little preventative maintenance could be done due to state and city financial budgetary constraints
http://www.thenoiseboard.com/index.php?showtopic=1...

It a steel truss bridge made up of 16 spans
http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?...

It is only accessible by road over a 4,175-foot (1,273 m) causeway from the Squantum peninsula of North Quincy to Moon Island, and from there, over a 3,050-foot (930 m) two-lane steel bridge from Moon Island to Long Island. The bridge is officially called the Long Island Viaduct.
http://longislandinformation.blogspot.com/2008/05/...

There is more info in the State Archives on the orginal 1949 contract but I cannot pull up the related PDF
http://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/54823?...

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I agree with the proposal by state Rep. Bruce Ayers (D-Quincy). Tear it down and start a ferry service.

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The ferry does seem like the best idea. The bridge is ugly, and tearing it down would likely be far less costly than replacing it. A ferry would probably be the cheapest option. It could, perhaps run every half hour at busy times and have the ability to take several cars across. Maybe similar to the ferry across Lake Champlain to Plattsburgh, NY- or the Chappaquiddick ferry.

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Why not leave it up for peds/bikes/light vehicles (golf carts, etc), in case the island is opened up to the public one day. It'd be a pretty cool walk.

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Where would the clients board? They take the bus near Boston City now. I can't imagine the Rowes Wharf crowd being amused. No quick way off for medical emergencies either.

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Hey Anon @ # 10 , nice stuff ! If you ever ride under that bridge and look at the steel , it looks like it came from an erector toy set, very minimal , scary , my my how did they ever get oxygen cylinders to that hospital, almost as bad as the hill going to the Baptist hospital in the snow. Here is another fun fact link : ACTIVE FIRE HOUSE

Long Island, Boston Harbor

Fire Brigade (Engine 54)

HISTORY

The firehouse was built in 1937 as a Work Projects Administration (WPA) project, Project #12545, coordinated through the the City of Boston Institutions Department. The initial fire protection services was provided by the Long Island Hospital and staffed by Hospital employees.

The firehouse became part of the Boston Fire Department on April 10, 1946 when Engine Company 54 and Ladder Company 33 were organized. The apparatus of Engine 54 and Ladder 33 were barged to Long Island, as there was no land access to the island at that time. A bridge was built in 1951.

The firehouse is located on the grounds of the Long Island Hospital on Long Island in Boston Harbor. The island is only accessible by vehicular traffic via a bridge, from Moon Island, which is only accessible from a causeway from the Squantum section of the City of Quincy.

http://www.bostonfirehistory.org/activefirehouseen...

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A number of years ago on another forum, someone who was a real MBTA expert said anyone probably could ride a 275 bus to the island.

He said that in the afternoon, someone from the homeless shelter verified the credentials of shelter residents boarding southbound buses in downtown Boston, but that nobody was keeping track of southbound passengers in the morning.

I've thought about trying it one day. It reminds me of that guy who blogged about sneaking into North Korea from Russia, using an obscure sleeper railcar that was on the train schedule, but no passenger had ever ridden before.

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