List of crossings of the Charles River

This is a list of the crossings of the Charles River from its mouth at Boston Harbor upstream to its source at Echo Lake (the four tunnels crossing the inner portion of Boston Harbor are not included). All locations are in Massachusetts.

Five bridges over the Charles River are visible in this photograph; in order from front to back, they are the Old Charles River Dam, Lechmere Viaduct, Commuter Rail Bridge, Zakim Bridge, and New Charles River Dam.

Crossings

Image	Crossing	Carries or connects	Location	Built	Length	Notes	Coordinates
	William Felton "Bill" Russell Bridge (formerly Charlestown Bridge)[1]	Route 99 (N. Washington St)	Boston to Charlestown	1900	331.9 meters (1,089 ft)[2]	The MBTA Orange Line used this bridge, before the upstream tunnel was completed in 1975. Site of a ferry established in 1630;[3] obsoleted by the Charles River Bridge, built 1786	42°22′08″N 71°03′36″W
	(New) Charles River Dam	pedestrians and bikers		1978		Fish ladder, pumps and three locks for navigation. Site of the Warren Bridge, built 1828, demolished 1962.	42°22′07″N 71°03′41.10″W
	Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge	I-93 / US 1		2003	442.2 meters (1,451 ft)[2]	Replaced Charlestown High Bridge, built 1956, demolished 2004	42°22′08″N 71°03′49″W
	Haymarket North Extension tunnel	MBTA Orange Line		1975
	Leverett Circle Connector Bridge	I-93 exit 18 onramp and offramp	Boston to Cambridge	1999	253 meters (830 ft)[2]		42°22′08″N 71°03′52″W
	MBTA Commuter Rail Charles River Bridge	MBTA Commuter Rail at North Station		1931		Bascule drawbridge Site of Boston and Lowell Railroad Charles River Bridge, built 1835, first movable railroad bridge in the United States[4]	42°22′8.29″N 71°03′54.96″W
	MBTA Green Line Lechmere Viaduct	MBTA Green Line		1912			42°22′2.32″N 71°04′8.29″W
	(Old) Charles River Dam Bridge	Route 28 (Charles River Dam Rd)		1910	25 meters (82 ft)[2]	The Boston Museum of Science is located on this bridge	42°22′01.66″N 71°04′08.87″W
	Longfellow Bridge	Route 3 (Main St/Cambridge St) MBTA Red Line		1907	650.7 meters (2,135 ft)[2]	MBTA Red Line in median; built in 1907 as the Cambridge Bridge, renamed for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1927. Site of West Boston Bridge, built 1793	42°21′41″N 71°04′32″W
	Harvard Bridge	Route 2A (Massachusetts Avenue)		1891, 1909 (rebuilt), 1924 (overhaul), 1990 (rebuilt)	659.9 meters (2,165 ft)[2]	Longest bridge over the Charles. Northern terminus at MIT, not Harvard University.	42°21′15″N 71°05′28″W
	Boston University Bridge	Route 2		1927		built as the Cottage Farm Bridge, renamed in 1949	42°21′09.12″N 71°06′38.26″W
	Grand Junction Railroad Bridge	MBTA Grand Junction Branch				crosses the river under the Boston University Bridge	42°21′09.69″N 71°06′36.72″W
	River Street Bridge	River St/Cambridge St		1926			42°21′41″N 71°07′00″W
	Western Avenue Bridge	Western Avenue		1924	85.3 meters (280 ft)[2]		42°21′51.25″N 71°07′01.13″W
	John W. Weeks Bridge	pedestrians		1926		the only footbridge across the basin, with a Harvard campus steam tunnel inside	42°22′6.63″N 71°07′05.26″W
	Anderson Memorial Bridge	N. Harvard Street/JFK Street		1912	70.7 meters (232 ft)[2]	A memorial to Nicholas Longworth Anderson donated by his son Larz Anderson Site of a ferry established 1635 at the foot of Dunster Street in Cambridge, at canal/creek;[5] obsoleted by Great Bridge,[6] built 1662, rebuilt 1862	42°22′08″N 71°07′23″W
	Eliot Bridge	Soldiers Field Rd, Memorial Drive		1950	91.4 meters (300 ft)[2]	a memorial to Charles W. Eliot, Harvard president 1869–1909, and his son Charles Eliot, landscape architect for the Metropolitan Park Commission	42°22′18″N 71°07′59″W
	Arsenal Street Bridge	Arsenal St/Western Ave	Brighton to Watertown	1925	61.9 meters (203 ft)[2]		42°21′42″N 71°08′50″W
	North Beacon Street Bridge	US 20		1917	62.5 meters (205 ft)[2]		42°21′32″N 71°09′42″W
	Watertown Bridge	Route 16 (Galen Street)	Watertown	about 1907	27.4 meters (90 ft)[2]		42°21′53″N 71°11′08″W
	Watertown Dam	no crossing		1900		The Charles River Watershed Association has proposed removal of the dam.[7]	42°21′55.27″N 71°11′21.34″W
	Cpl. Joseph U. Thompson Footbridge	pedestrians and bicycles				Demolished 2017[8]	42°21′54.39″N 71°11′24.97″W
	Cpl. Joseph U. Thompson Footbridge (new)			2018		Replaced old span
	Bridge Street Bridge	Bridge St	Newton to Watertown		29.3 meters (96 ft)[2]		42°21′56.87″N 71°12′15.96″W
	Bemis Dam (breached)	no crossing		1821[9]		breached 1944	42°21′56.58″N 71°12′17.92″W
	Blue Heron Footbridge	Charles River Bike Path		2005			42°21′53.33″N 71°12′45.85″W
	Farwell Street Bridge	Farwell St	Waltham		33.4 meters (110 ft)[2]		42°22′1.3″N 71°13′5.1″W
	Bleachery Footbridge	Former pedestrian bridge site, demolished 1960s.					42°22′8.2″N 71°13′20.4″W
	Bleachery Dam	no crossing		1794		originally Gore Paper Mill dam	42°22′8.83″N 71°13′22.74″W
	Mary T. Early Footbridge			2004		formerly Calvary Street Footbridge	42°22′10.74″N 71°13′25.94″W
	Boston & Maine Railroad trestle (abandoned)	abandoned Watertown Branch Railroad				Demolished in 2016	42°22′11.11″N 71°13′26.29″W
	Charles F. Graceffa Bridge	Newton Street		1877	27.4 meters (90 ft)[2]		42°22′21.10″N 71°13′43.51″W
	Elm Street Bridge	Elm St			71.9 meters (236 ft)[2]		42°22′22.87″N 71°13′57.19″W
	Boston & Maine Railroad trestle (abandoned)	abandoned Watertown Branch				Demolished in 2015	42°22′22.21″N 71°13′59.12″W
	Richard Landry Park footbridge			1978			42°22′20.59″N 71°14′5.95″W
	Waltham Dam or Moody Street Dam			1836		original Eden Vale dam built 1785	42°22′22.87″N 71°14′10.24″W
	Moody Street bridge			1946	68.6 meters (225 ft)[2]	original built 1846, rebuilt 1871, 1921	42°22′23.61″N 71°14′11.63″W
	Gold Star Mothers Bridge			1889	40.2 meters (132 ft)[2]	Carries Prospect Street; drawbridge 1882	42°22′7.91″N 71°14′36.93″W
	Commonwealth Avenue/South Avenue Bridge	Route 30	Newton to Weston			site of old Norumbega Bridge	42°20′38.27″N 71°15′41.01″W
	I-90/I-95 connector	I-90 / I-95				original Mass Pike terminus until 1964	42°20′29.76″N 71°15′42.51″W
	Massachusetts Turnpike Boston Extension (Interstate 90)	I-90			316.1 meters (1,037 ft)[2]		42°20′27.53″N 71°15′39.42″W
	I-90/I-95 connector	I-90 / I-95					42°20′27.62″N 71°15′34.98″W
	Footbridge from Riverside Rd., Newton to Recreation Rd., Weston	pedestrians				demolished 2023; replacement under construction, scheduled for completion in 2025[10]	42°20′28.36″N 71°15′29.73″W
	Road bridge from Riverside Rd., Newton to Recreation Rd., Weston	demolished 1960s around time of Massachusetts Turnpike Extension					42°20′28.36″N 71°15′29.73″W
	CSX/MBTA railroad bridge	Framingham/Worcester Line				Single-arch concrete span	42°20′26.45″N 71°15′25.44″W
	Pony Truss Bridge[11]	pedestrians				accessible from Riverside Park[12] off Recreation Rd., Weston	42°20′24.16″N 71°15′21.39″W
	I-95 offramp				180.4 meters (592 ft)[2]	northbound exits 23–25; originally Route 128 until 1964	42°20′15.466″N 71°15′26.56″W
	I-95 / Route 128	I-95 / Route 128			93.6 meters (307 ft)[2]		42°20′11.83″N 71°15′31.04″W
	Concord Street/Park Road bridge				24.7 meters (81 ft)[2]		42°19′50.04″N 71°16′4.53″W
	Leo J. Martin Golf Club Footbridge		Newton to Wellesley				42°19′42.16″N 71°16′12.29″W
	Newton–Wellesley Lower Falls Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge			rebuilt 2012[13]		formerly abandoned Boston & Albany RR Newton Lower Falls Branch bridge	42°19′36.34″N 71°15′40.58″W
	Washington Street Bridge	Route 16			43 meters (141 ft)[2]		42°19′31.15″N 71°15′30.07″W
	Finlay Dam						42°19′31.74″N 71°15′15.78″W
	Cordingly Dam and Falls						42°19′31.6″N 71°15′15.8″W
	Mary Hunnewell Fyffe Footbridge			1983[14]		Previous bridges built in 1909 and before 1906[14]	42°19′33″N 71°15′16″W
	Wales Street/Walnut Street Bridge				17.9 meters (59 ft)[2]		42°19′36.39″N 71°15′11.42″W
	Cochituate Aqueduct	Closed.		1848			42°19′27.48″N 71°14′59.95″W
	I-95 / Route 128	I-95 / Route 128					42°19′25.09″N 71°14′57.36″W
	Boston-Worcester Turnpike Bridge	Route 9			23.2 meters (76 ft)[2]		42°19′00.5″N 71°13′41.2″W
	Metropolitan Circular Dam	No crossing.		2010s replacement for older dam			42°18′59.6″N 71°13′41.1″W
	Echo Bridge	pedestrians, bicycles, and the Sudbury Aqueduct	Newton to Needham	1876			42°18′53.13″N 71°13′37.17″W
	Silk Mill Dam	No crossing.					42°18′49.76″N 71°13′34.82″W
	Elliot Street/Central Avenue Bridge	Eliot St/Central Ave					42°18′44.30″N 71°13′37.37″W
	rail bridge	Closed.				Formerly carried the Charles River Railroad. A proposal was made in 2023 to rehabilitate the bridge as a link in a proposed "Newton/Needham Community Way".[15]	42°18′26.08″N 71°13′26.32″W
	Needham Street Bridge	Needham Street, Newton / Highland Avenue, Needham		1875	27.7 meters (91 ft)[2]		42°18′23.51″N 71°13′1.02″W
	Christina Street rail bridge	Closed.				The City of Newton is studying the replacement of this bridge with a new structure.[16]	42°18′21.65″N 71°12′46.73″W
	Kendrick Street/Nahanton Street Bridge	Kendrick St/Nahanton St			49.4 meters (162 ft)[2]		42°17′49.57″N 71°12′28.12″W
	MBTA Commuter Rail Needham Line bridge		West Roxbury to Needham				42°16′46.17″N 71°11′6.89″W
	Honorable Robert L. Cawley Bridge	Route 109 Bridge Street, Dedham / Spring Street, West Roxbury	West Roxbury to Dedham		21.3 meters (70 ft)[2]		42°16′15.02″N 71°10′23.90″W
	Ames Street Bridge		Dedham		35.7 meters (117 ft)[2]	A footbridge was first built in this location in 1640 by William Bullard and John Eaton. It was the first crossing in Dedham.[17]	42°15′8.61″N 71°10′34.37″W
	Bridge Street Bridge	Route 109			21.3 meters (70 ft)[2]		42°15′14.85″N 71°10′51.60″W
	Interstate 95/Route 128	I-95 / Route 128	Needham to Dedham		98.5 meters (323 ft) (SB) 89 meters (292 ft)[2] (NB)[2]		42°16′1.96″N 71°12′10.20″W Between exits 17 & 18 on I-95
	Greendale Avenue/Lyons Street Bridge			1879[18]	17.1 meters (56 ft)[2]	There has been a bridge on the site since the 1740s, but the current bridge was built in 1879.[18][a]	42°16′1.33″N 71°12′17.42″W
	Route 135/West Street/Dedham Avenue Bridge	Route 135			17.1 meters (56 ft)[2]		42°16′3.67″N 71°13′4.89″W
	Chestnut Street Bridge		Needham to Dover		33.8 meters (111 ft)[2]		42°15′35.40″N 71°14′13.48″W
	dam	No crossing.				A USGS flow gauge is located here.	42°15′22.7″N 71°15′34.8″W
	dam	No crossing.					42°15′31″N 71°15′46.8″W
	Willow Street/South Street Bridge				17 meters (56 ft)[2]		42°15′32.66″N 71°15′47.26″W
	rail bridge	Closed.				Formerly carried the Charles River Railroad	42°15′26.97″N 71°16′14.26″W
	Central Ave/Centre Street Bridge				20.7 meters (68 ft)[2]		42°15′32.37″N 71°16′17.31″W
	missing bridge?						42°15′48.07″N 71°17′5.55″W
	Dover Road/Charles River Street Bridge				38.6 meters (127 ft)[2]		42°16′9.50″N 71°17′59.43″W
	Cheney Drive Bridge				19.5 meters (64 ft)[2]	Access road to Elm Bank Reservation.	42°16′32.68″N 71°18′34.38″W
	Water Street Bridge	No longer extant.	South Natick				42°16′13.8″N 71°18′31.3″W
	Pleasant Street Bridge				34.4 meters (113 ft)[2]		42°16′18.13″N 71°18′54.52″W
	South Natick Dam					In 2022, the Town of Natick Select Board voted to seek state approval to remove the dam.[19]	42°16′17.27″N 71°18′56.57″W
	Sargent Bridge					No public access.	42.26696°N 71.32112°W / 42.26696; -71.32112 (pedestrian crossing)
	Farm Road/Bridge Street Bridge		Sherborn to Dover				42°13′57.45″N 71°19′48.67″W
	rail bridge	CSX Framingham Secondary	Sherborn to Medfield				42°12′53.43″N 71°20′53.79″W
	South Main Street/North Meadows Road Bridge	Route 27 (Hospital Road)			21.9 meters (72 ft)[2]		42°12′35.98″N 71°21′6.23″W
	former bridge?						42°12′28.00″N 71°21′7.20″W
	rail bridge	Millis Industrial Track	Medfield to Millis				42°11′18.38″N 71°20′3.54″W
	Dover Road Bridge					Bridge site going back to 1640s, including one burnt by Native Americans during King Philip's War in 1675.	42°11′19.41″N 71°19′59.76″W
	Turner Bridge (Main Street Bridge)	Route 109			20.1 meters (66 ft)[2]		42°10′52″N 71°19′21.52″W
	Dwight's Bridge	Dwight Street Millis to Medfield				Over the Charles River off Causeway Street on Dwight Street. This was so named and built so Timothy Dwight could get to land he owned in the area. This bridge was washed out in the Great 1936 Flood and never rebuilt.[20]	42°10′24.8″N 71°19′23.3″W
	Forest Road/Orchard Street Bridge				17.7 meters (58 ft)[2]		42°9′28.26″N 71°19′55.43″W
	Norfolk Road Bridge	Route 115	Millis		21.9 meters (72 ft)[2]		42°8′35.80″N 71°20′57.42″W
	Dean Street/Pleasant Street Bridge						42°8′17.64″N 71°21′31.08″W
	Destroyed railroad bridge	Medway Branch		1852		Rail line was abandoned in 1864. Bridge abutments remain.	42.135027°N 71.36036°W / 42.135027; -71.36036
	Myrtle Street bridge				22.1 meters (73 ft)[2]		42°8′0.63″N 71°21′42.86″W
	Destroyed railroad bridge	Medway Branch	1852	Medway		Rail line was abandoned in 1864. Bridge abutments remain.	42.137669°N 71.386178°W / 42.137669; -71.386178
	Walker Street Bridge				24.4 meters (80 ft)[2]		42°8′24.32″N 71°23′22.39″W
	Sanford Street Bridge		Medway to Franklin				42°8′17.96″N 71°23′54″W
	Sanford Mill Dam						42°8′19.2″N 71°23′55.4″W
	Shaw Street/Elm Street Bridge						42°8′11.40″N 71°25′6.72″W
	Woodland Park Bridge						42°8′19.39″N 71°25′18.92″W
	dam	No crossing.					42°8′20.62″N 71°25′27.07″W
	Franklin Street/Pond Street Bridge				10.1 meters (33 ft)[2]		42°8′17.36″N 71°25′51.87″W
	Pearl Street Bridge		Bellingham		20.5 meters (67 ft)[2]		42°7′51.52″N 71°26′38.53″W
	Plymouth Road Bridge				12.5 meters (41 ft)[2]		42°7′22.07″N 71°26′51.69″W
	Maple Street Bridge				12.2 meters (40 ft)[2]		42°7′10.32″N 71°27′12.35″W
	Maple Street Dam						42°7′8.6″N 71°27′15.2″W
	I-495 bridge	I-495			10.1 meters (33 ft)[2]		42°06′27″N 71°27′30″W
	High Street Bridge				10.7 meters (35 ft)[2]		42°5′50.69″N 71°27′33.07″W
	footbridge	Onetime road bridge site					42°5′22.91″N 71°28′13.16″W
	North Main Street Bridge	Route 126			9.4 meters (31 ft)[2]		42°05′39″N 71°28′34″W
	rail bridge						42°5′39.54″N 71°28′50.71″W
	Depot Street Bridge				16.5 meters (54 ft)[2]		42°5′38.39″N 71°28′55.65″W
	Hartford Avenue Bridge		Bellingham to Mendon/Hopedale				42°6′12.41″N 71°29′59.19″W
	rail bridge		Bellingham to Hopedale				42°06′41.8″N 71°30′4.9″W
	Mellen Street Bridge and Dam		Bellingham to Hopedale				42°07′0.8″N 71°30′5″W
	Howard Street Bridge		Hopedale to Milford				42°07′5.30″N 71°30′17.88″W
	rail bridge						42°7′7.22″N 71°30′20.97″W
	Howard Street Bridge		Milford				42°07′32″N 71°30′33″W
	rail bridge						42°7′36.9″N 71°30′33.9″W
	Central Street Bridge						42°08′21″N 71°30′45″W
	Main Street Culvert	Route 16					42°08′37″N 71°30′47″W
	Milford Pond Dam and Footbridge						42°08′50.9″N 71°30′49.2″W
	Dilla Street Bridge						42°09′41″N 71°30′43″W
	Dilla Street Dam						42°09′41.3″N 71°30′41.8″W
	old road bridge						42°09′52.3″N 71°30′38.7″W
	culvert	Upper Charles Trail					42°09′52.4″N 71°30′38.9″W
	I-495 culvert (Exit 20)	I-495					42°10′04″N 71°30′41″W
	Wildcat Pond Bridge and Dam	Private road					42°7′8.6″N 71°27′15.2″W
	footbridge						42°10′22.3″N 71°30′34.3″W
	bridge	Upper Charles River Trail					42°10′25.7″N 71°30′30.6″W
	Route 85 bridge	Route 85					42°10′26″N 71°30′30″W
	footbridge						42°10′43.7″N 71°30′21.7″W
	bridge	Upper Charles River Trail					42°10′44.1″N 71°30′22.1″W
	footbridge						42°10′52.5″N 71°30′19.7″W
	footbridge						42°10′54.8″N 71°30′20.8″W
	Route 85 bridge	Route 85					42°10′55″N 71°30′22″W
	Echo Lake Dam	No crossing.	Hopkinton				42°11′32″N 71°30′28.7″W

Source: Echo Lake 42.193012°N 71.5119°W / 42.193012; -71.5119 (Echo Lake (river source))

See also

• Engineering portal
• Rivers portal
• Transport portal
• United States portal

• Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge
• List of bridges in Boston

Notes

1. Lyons Street originally ran as far as Common Street but was cut short and dead ended when Route 128 was built.^[18] Lyons Street is named for a 19th century landowner, Elisha Lyon.^[18] Lyon lived on the Needham side of the Charles River.^[18]