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The MBTA's Draft Environmental Assessment

Last week, the MBTA presented a draft environmental assessment for the Draw One Bridge replacement project. This document unveils crucial details regarding the agency's plans to replace the century-old railroad bridge adjacent to North Station. The Draw 1 bridge serves an astonishing 11 million rail passengers annually on various lines such as the Haverhill line, Newburyport/Rockport line, Lowell line, Fitchburg line, and the Amtrak Downeaster.The MBTA aims to replace the existing 4-track drawbridge with a more dependable one that can accommodate 6 tracks. This will enable increased regional rail service by opening up additional boarding platforms within North Station. In September, the T secured a $472 million federal grant for the $1.2 billion project.

The Construction Timeline

According to the project's environmental filings, the construction is expected to take approximately eight years, starting in 2026 and ending in 2034. However, the project consists of three independently operating drawbridges - the West Bridge, the Center Bridge, and the East Bridge. The West Bridge could begin carrying trains before the end of the decade.Based on the proposed construction phasing plan, workers will build the new bridges sequentially. During the first three years, they will construct the West Bridge just upstream from the existing bridge while trains continue to use the existing tracks. In the next two years, some train traffic will shift to the new West Bridge as workers demolish part of the old bridge and build the new Center Bridge. Finally, in the last three years, trains will use the new West and Center bridges while the old bridge is demolished and replaced with the new East Bridge. The environmental assessment ensures that "four tracks across the Charles River would remain in operation at all times" to minimize service disruptions for riders.

North Bank Bridge Closures

During the initial three years of construction, the project will lead to closures of the North Bank Bridge, which connects Cambridge and Charlestown for bike and pedestrian traffic. The new track layout associated with the new drawbridges requires the T to relocate several of the North Bank Bridge's support piers and raise the bridge by one foot. This work will result in "multiple closures of the North Bank Bridge for up to two weeks at a time. The total duration of anticipated closures is approximately 30 days," as stated in the T's environmental permitting documents.The T will collaborate with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation to provide a detour between Paul Revere Park and North Point Park in Cambridge. However, no details are provided about the nature of this detour. The only other possible routes across the MBTA tracks on the north bank of the Charles River are the Interstate 93 connector ramps to the Tobin Bridge, where bike and pedestrian traffic is prohibited, and the Gilmore Bridge, which is about half a mile to the northwest.

No Overhead Wires for Now

Unlike the tracks leading to South Station, the new Draw One bridge is not designed to include overhead wires to power the MBTA's planned electric trains. But this design does not rule out the possibility of such an addition in the future."The new bridge structures accommodate future electrification of the rail lines by providing sufficient vertical clearance for fixed catenary when the bridge spans are fully open," according to the environmental assessment. This indicates that the option for electric train operation remains open for the Draw One Bridge.