Longfellow Bridge

It's always Labor Day weekend along the Charles

adamg — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:14:31 +0000

MassDOT reports a truck got stuck under the Longfellow on Memorial Drive around 6:00 a.m., shutting the road, of course. And not just any truck: A big-ass truck.

Go figure: There really is a reason the T warns you not to lean against doors

adamg — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 22:43:29 +0000

James Harvey tweeted around 5:30 p.m.:

Just had the Red Line doors open in the middle of the Longfellow Bridge.

Eric Steinhardt, apparently on the same train, reports the doors stayed open only very briefly, not even long enough for him to jump out.

Red Line train hits worker on Longfellow Bridge

adamg — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 02:08:50 +0000

Red Line service was stopped in both directions; traffic a mess as well.

AlertNewEngland reports the worker appears to be conscious. The worker was extricated not long after rescue crews arrived. Channel 7 reports he suffered only minor arm injuries.

Woman pulled out of Charles at Longfellow; massive search launched after she told rescuers she threw kids in river

adamg — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 03:43:02 +0000

Dive and search teams from the Boston and Cambridge fire departments and State Police raced to the Charles River at the Longfellow Bridge late Friday after a woman pulled out of the water said she had thrown her kids in the water - and troopers spotted children's clothing near where she jumped. But reported that State Police discovered the children safe at home with family - in Florida - about 30 minutes later and the search was called off.

Task force looks at reducing car lanes on Longfellow to give pedestrians, bicyclists more room

adamg — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 12:30:40 +0000

One possible outbound Longfellow realignmentA state task force meets Wednesday to consider possible options for re-aligning the venerable bridge as part of the state's $255-million repair program.

The session to consider three options begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Shriners Hospital auditorium, 51 Blossom St.

Options range from keeping the current two car lanes in both directions to shrinking car lanes to one in each direction - and reducing their widths. According to a draft report, most task-force members would prefer to go down to one car lane outbound from Boston to allow for wider bike and pedestrian lanes.

The task force rejected a proposal for "flexible" lanes that would be restricted to bicyclists only at certain hours, in part because task force members realize Massholes would attempt to drive in the lane during those hours.

Regardless of road configuration on the bridge, the task force agrees the state needs to reconfigure the approaches for cars, pedestrians and bicyclists at Charles Circle, and that the state finally build the missing 500 feet of a walkway under the bridge on the Cambridge side. One proposal calls for construction of a new pedestrian bridge linking the Longfellow to the Esplanade.

Longfellow Task Force documents and discussions

Here's a thought: When the state rebuilds the Longfellow, narrow the roadway and give more space to walkers, bicyclists

adamg — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:02:23 +0000

ForLeft considers two alternates for a rebuilt Longfellow - one of which has only one traffic lane in each direction:

... I love the idea of cutting down on car traffic and [putting] benches on the walks. This is a chance to really change the urban environment. ...

Red Line train forced to get pushy as other train stalls on Longfellow Bridge

adamg — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 22:01:54 +0000

If it works and one train can push the dead inbound train off the bridge (or rather, down the tracks to the next station), should mean some relief for people stuck in a train in the sun with no air conditioning on the hottest day in eight years. If not, they could always make a break for it. Unfortunately, that would do little for people waiting in sweltering stations - or the trains behind the trains on the bridge, such as JJ Leslie, who tweets:

I am stuck on a train behind the disabled RL train. In the station at Central. People are getting very angry. Bad feeling.

Drunk van driver crashes into Red Line train

Ron Newman — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:43:22 +0000

This morning around midnight on the Longfellow Bridge, according to Boston.com. Note to Globe: Red Line cars are not "subway trolleys".

Trapped in a train on the Longfellow Bridge

adamg — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 02:41:13 +0000

JJ Leslie was among the unfortunate who spent more than 30 minutes in a dead inbound Red Line train on the Longfellow tonight. He live-tweeted the experience:

Court rules that merely sitting next to a gun doesn't mean you own it

adamg — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:08:42 +0000

The Massachusetts Court of Appeals today reversed a Boston man's gun-possession conviction because prosecutors failed to prove he owned the gun in the friend's car he was driving at the time - or that he even knew the weapon was there.

It's no Tobin, but jumping off the Longfellow can kill you, too

adamg — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:48:27 +0000

The Boston Fire Department tweets the body of a man who jumped off the Longfellow around 6:30 p.m. was recovered on the Cambridge side of the Charles. Wicked Local Cambridge reports foul play is not suspected.

Crossing the Charles on the Red Line after dark

adamg — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:50:51 +0000

Dan Tobin was facing the Citgo sign on the way home from Cambridge this evening:

... It's a landmark I invariably associate with the Red Sox and tonight I realized that, no matter how the season ended up - with us as champions or the hated Yankees taking the crown - this is the time of year when baseball is in hibernation. It won't be long before being outside itself is a chore and means braving the nasty winter that comprises half the Boston year. It made me a little sad facing up to this reality. But it also made me thankful to know that one day the Sox will come back, the cold weather will lift, and the city will become a beautiful place once again.

Suspicious package hanging off the Longfellow causing delays

adamg — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:47:57 +0000

State Police are at the Longfellow Bridge right now, checking out a "suspicious package," Boston Police tweet. Presumably, it is not made of Lite Brites.

Why would you jump off the Longfellow?

adamg — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 14:47:09 +0000

But that's what somebody did early this morning - and after he was fished out of the Charles, he was taken away in the custody of the State Police, Boston_Fireman tweets.

Report: Alleged Longfellow Bridge iron thieves to ditch the 'alleged'

adamg — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:43:37 +0000

Channel 5 reports the two alleged yutzes charged with selling 91,000 pounds of ornamental scrollwork from the Longfellow Bridge as scrap last year are expected to plead guilty.