Leverett Circle Connector | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 42°22′09″N 71°03′53″W / 42.36909°N 71.06459°W |
| Carries | highway access ramp |
| Crosses | Charles River |
| Locale | Boston, Massachusetts to Somerville, Massachusetts |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | steel box girder bridge |
| Total length | 1.7 miles (2.7 km)[1] |
| History | |
| Opened | October 7, 1999 |
| Location | |
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The Leverett Circle Connector Bridge is a highway bridge over the Charles River, carrying two lanes each of northbound and southbound traffic. It connects to Interstate 93 (I-93) in Somerville, Massachusetts (Northern Expressway) at the northern end (exit 18, formerly 26 from I-93 south) and splits at the southern end, providing direct access to both Storrow Drive and Leverett Circle in Boston. Going northbound, there is also a fork which provides access to the City Square Tunnel under Charlestown to proceed on U.S. Route 1 (US 1) northbound via the Tobin Bridge.
The span was built in conjunction with the more dramatic Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge as part of the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, widely known as the Big Dig. During construction, the Leverett Circle Connector Bridge was sometimes called "Baby Bridge".[2] The bridge opened for traffic on October 7, 1999,[3] at a cost of $22.27 million (equivalent to $37 million in 2022[4]).[5]
Also known as the Storrow Drive Connector, it is the largest steel box girder bridge in the United States. It was the winner of a July 2001 National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA) "prize bridge" award.[6] Its weaving design[further explanation needed] was determined by the other major structures involved in the Big Dig but unlike other parts of the project, it was finished eight days ahead of schedule.[5]
