Pair of Bascule Bridges on First St/Land Blvd - Cambridge, MA
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 42° 21.743 W 071° 04.705
19T E 328847 N 4692104
These two bascule drawbridges are located along Land Boulevard/First Street in Cambridge, near where the Longfellow Bridge connects to the Cambridge side of the Charles River.
Waymark Code: WM6BXM
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 05/10/2009
Views: 6
Near Kendall Square in Cambridge, along Land Boulevard/First Street where the roads cross the remnant of the Broad Canal, is a pair of bascule drawbridges. These bridges sit side-by-side, with a control tower between them. The Broad Canal today is only approximately 300 feet long and ends just behind the cogeneration power plant on the north bank of the canal. At one time, this canal extended further and was joined by others. Thus, there is little need for these bridges to be raised, and I have not seen them in the raised position in many years [though I do not watch them constantly].
The year specified is for the older of the two bridges. More complete information is for both, below.
First Street Bridge (closest to cogeneration power plant, furthest from Charles River):
National Bridge Structure Inventory Number: C010084DMMDCNBI
Year Built: 1924
Reconstructed: 2000
Owner: Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
Structure Length: 36.6 m (120 ft)
Roadway Width: 10.1 m (33 ft)
Land Boulevard Bridge (closest to Charles River, furthest from cogeneration power plant):
National Bridge Structure Inventory Number: C010404DLMDCNBI
Year Built: 1956
Owner: Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
Structure Length: 53.3 m (175 ft)
Roadway Width: 9.8 m (32 ft)
More information can be found in the National Bridge Inventory at the link below.
Note: Please be very cautious when walking around these bridges. There are sidewalks on either side. There are signs that forbid pedestrian crossing at that location. There is a crosswalk further north about 100 from the bridges. There is a lot of car traffic on both bridges.
Source:
Nationalbridges.com National Bridge Inventory for Massachusetts:
(
visit link)