CHARLES  RIVER  PARKLANDS  UPDATE
April 2002
Archives—Table of Contents

Esplanade Pedestrian Bridges—Better Access For Everyone!

Ever been in Boston's Back Bay and found yourself a bit unsure as to how to get to the river? You are not alone -- for years the pedestrian bridges over Storrow Drive went unnamed and unmarked on local maps. Residents and tourists alike had a hard time finding their way to river access bridges. But this is starting to change!

In the summer of 2001, with funding from the Tomfohrde Foundation, the CRC set to work on the problem. First priority? To put the bridges "on the map." Now, we are happy to announce, on "Walking Boston" maps distributed at tourist kiosks and in visitor sites throughout the city, river pedestrian bridges are named and marked.

Step two? CRC staff met with the MDC to facilitate the creation and mounting of signs for the bridges. With the names of streets leading to the bridges now prominently featured, pedestrians can identify Back Bay thoroughfares leading to bridge access ramps. An added bonus: Commuters and visitors to the Back Bay in cars can now orient themselves from Storrow Drive (see image above).

More good news: The CRC and the Esplanade Association have been encouraging a general face lift for the bridges. Together with artist John Powell, the CRC has presented color options for repainting to the MDC. This spring the state agency will begin repainting five of the footbridges. But there is still much to be done to enhance these "Gateways to the Esplanade," including the introduction of lighting improvements, increased signage, and new plantings.

Local residents who work to make these hard-to-redeem steel structures attractive, especially those anonymous few who lovingly plant and tend seasonal gardens around entry ramps and even on the bridges themselves, can take heart! Going from the Back Bay to the Esplanade via the pedestrian bridges will be less of a trek and more of a stroll!

Charles River Parklands is published by The Charles River Conservancy, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of the Basin parklands of the Charles River.

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Email: crc@thecharles.org

 
© 2002, The Charles River Conservancy.