Editing Longfellow Bridge (section)

===Neglect===
[[Image:Pre-Restoration Longfellow Bridge fenced off (53829360358).jpg|thumb|left|The fenced-off sidewalk on the south side of the bridge, pre-restoration.]]The Longfellow Bridge, like many bridges in the Commonwealth,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://wbztv.com/local/road.repairs.Pioneer.2.588807.html |title=Report: Mass. Road And Bridge Repair Is Poor |access-date=2008-09-02 |date=2007-07-31|agency=Associated Press |publisher=wbztv.com}} {{Dead link|date=November 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> deteriorated into a state of disrepair. Between 1907 and 2011, the only major maintenance conducted on the bridge had been a small 1959 rehabilitation project and some lesser repairs done in 2002.<ref>Westerling, David & Steve Poftak, [http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/07/31/a_legacy_of_neglect/ ''A Legacy of Neglect''], ''Boston Globe'' Op Ed., A11 (Jul 31, 2007).</ref>
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On May 1, 2007, a fire broke out under the bridge, ignited by an unextinguished cigarette. The fire caused the bridge to be shut down to vehicle and train traffic,<ref>[http://cms.firehouse.com/web/online/News/Cigarette-Blamed-For-Boston-Bridge-Fire/46$54532 Firehouse.com]{{dead link|date=August 2011}}</ref> and also severed [[Internet2]] connectivity to Boston, causing problems with the Chicago-New York OC-192 route, according to the Internet2 blog.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://i2net.blogspot.com/2007/05/question-when-can-cigarette-take-down.html |title=Internet2 blog |publisher=I2net.blogspot.com |date=2007-05-02 |access-date=2012-08-20}}</ref>
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[[File:Pre-Restoration Longfellow Bridge, Boston (53828206677).jpg|thumb|right|Paint chipping off the degraded railing.]]
In mid-2008, two state employees stole {{convert|2347|ft|m}} of decorative iron trim that had been removed from the bridge for refurbishment, and sold it for [[scrap]]. The men, one of whom was a Department of Conservation and Recreation district manager, were charged with receiving $12,147 for the historic original parapet coping. The estimated cost to remake the pieces, scheduled for replication by 2012, was over $500,000.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/09/12/case_of_the_purloined_ironwork/|publisher=Boston Globe |author=Ebbert, Stephanie |date=2008-09-12 |access-date=2008-09-12 |title=Case of the purloined ironwork}}</ref>  The men were later convicted in September 2009.<ref>{{cite news
| url        = http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/09/16/pair_get_jail_for_iron_theft_at_bridge/
| title      = Pair get jail for iron theft at bridge
| first      = John R.
| last       = Ellement
| date       = 2009-09-16
| work       = Boston Globe
| publisher  = New York Times
| location   = [[Boston, Massachusetts]]
| access-date = 2009-11-14
}}</ref>

In mid-2008, the western sidewalk and inner traffic lane were both closed, the [[Red Line (MBTA)|Red Line]] subway was limited to {{convert|10|mph|kph}}, and Fourth-of-July fireworks-watchers were banned from the bridge because of concerns that the bridge might collapse under the weight and vibration of heavy use.<ref name="cant" />  The speed restriction was lifted in August 2008, and the lane and sidewalk were reopened later on. On August 4, 2008, Governor [[Deval Patrick]] signed into law a $3 billion Massachusetts bridge repair funding package he had sponsored.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/08/05/patrick_signs_3b_bill_to_fix_bridges/ |publisher=boston.com |author=Viser, Matt |date=2008-08-05 |access-date=2008-09-11 |title=Patrick signs $3b bill to fix bridges}}</ref>  The funds raised from the sale of bonds were used to pay for the rehabilitation of the Longfellow Bridge, the preliminary cost estimated at $267.5 million.<ref name="chart">{{cite web|url=http://www.eot.state.ma.us/acceleratedbridges/downloads/byLocation120808.pdf |title=Accelerated Bridge Program (ABP) Plan - By Locality |access-date=2012-08-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223210458/http://www.eot.state.ma.us/acceleratedbridges/downloads/byLocation120808.pdf |archive-date=2012-02-23 }}</ref>  If bridge maintenance had instead been performed regularly, the total estimated historical cost would have been about $81 million.<ref>Ross, Casey, [http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1065868&srvc=home&position=0/ ''Longfellow's long list of woes'']  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613070613/http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1065868&srvc=home&position=0%2F |date=June 13, 2011 }}, ''Boston Herald'' Special Report, (Jan 11, 2008).</ref>  Design began in Spring 2005; construction was expected to begin in Spring 2012 and end in Spring 2016.<ref name="chart" />

Ownership and management of the overhaul was transferred from the [[Department of Conservation and Recreation (Massachusetts)|Department of Conservation and Recreation]] (DCR) to the new [[Massachusetts Department of Transportation]] (MassDOT) on November 1, 2009, along with other DCR bridges.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eot.state.ma.us/downloads/massdot90dayrpt.pdf |title=90 Day Integration Report - September 2009 |access-date=2012-08-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223210417/http://www.eot.state.ma.us/downloads/massdot90dayrpt.pdf |archive-date=2012-02-23 }}</ref>

[[File:Longfellow Bridge at Sunset, July 2011.jpg|thumb|right|Emergency repairs under way, July 2011]]
The condition of the bridge was determined to be so bad that the state could not wait for development of a full restoration plan. A $17 million contract was signed with SPS New England Inc for interim repairs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/charlesriverbridges/LongfellowBridge.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101017003014/http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/charlesriverbridges/LongfellowBridge.html|archive-date=2010-10-17 |title=Longfellow Bridge |publisher=Massdot.state.ma.us |access-date=2011-08-31}}</ref> Crews began work in August 2010 that involved improving sidewalks on the approaches to bring them up to [[ADA compliance]]. In March 2011, crews began structural inspections for Phase II and cleaning of the stone masonry piers. MassDOT announced in May 2011 that work would begin on stripping and cleaning rust from steel arch ribbons that had not been painted since 1953. Crews were to apply [[Primer (paint)|paint primer]] to the arch ribbons and evaluate them for future major rehabilitation. All work was expected to be completed by December 2011.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/beacon_hill/2011/04/beacon_hill_gets_a_longfellow.html?camp=localsearch:on:twit:HLboston/beaconhill | work=The Boston Globe | first=Sara | last=Brown | title=Beacon Hill gets a Longfellow Bridge update | date=April 12, 2011}}</ref>