Photo: Aldrich, Beatrice (uploader)
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Philip G. Bowker Overpass, the steel beam bridge with a suspended deck that crosses over Commonwealth Avenue, Beacon Street, and Interstate 90 in the Kenmore Square and Charlesgate area, will be the subject of a major rehabilitation project courtesy of MassDOT.
The renovation will create a simpler traffic pattern out of the tangled overpass that was first constructed in 1967 over a section of the Emerald Necklace park system.
"Primarily it’s to replace Storrow Drive eastbound and a major rehabilitation of Bowker Overpass over I-90," said MassDOT Project Manager Steve McLaughlin. "In doing that, we’re able to do some reconfiguration where we can connect the Emerald Necklace all the way to the Esplanade."
According to MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver, the project will also "daylight" the Muddy River, which runs parallel to the overpass, and will create more than four acres of parkland and a number of multi-use paths associated with it.
"It’s going to transform this neighborhood, the Muddy River, and the park system for the better forever," Gulliver said.
The project is expected to take about around 10 years to complete and will be funded in part through federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
WBZ's Kim Tunnicliffe (@KimWBZ) reports.
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