Longfellow Earns International Bridge Conference Award

The restoration and rehabilitation of Boston’s iconic Longfellow Bridge received the Abba G. Lichtenstein Medal from the International Bridge Conference (IBC). This prestigious award honors “outstanding achievement in bridge engineering demonstrating artistic merit and innovation.”

STV served as lead designer for the $306.5 million Massachusetts Department of Transportation Highway Division project, which was procured using the design-build project delivery method. The team was led by the J.F. White Contracting Company/Skanska/Consigli Construction Co. contracting joint venture.

Known for its distinctive granite piers and towers that give the structure its local moniker as the “Salt and Pepper Bridge,” the Longfellow carries both Route 3 and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Red Line subway over the Charles River. After more than a century of service, the bridge had widespread deterioration of its arches, columns, ornate masonry and metal casting features and needed repairs to improve its structural integrity. 

The completed project is now fully AASHTO compliant with three vehicle lanes, two bicycle lanes, and wider ADA-compliant sidewalks. The Red Line’s center tracks were improved with new traction power, communications and signals modifications.

The Lichtenstein Medal is the latest honor for the project, which has received several awards for both its historic preservation and engineering excellence. In 2019, the Longfellow Bridge won the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation National Preservation Award presented by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.