This is a list of the crossings of the Charles River from its mouth at Boston Harbor upstream to its source at Echo Lake (the four tunnels crossing the inner portion of Boston Harbor are not included). All locations are in Massachusetts.
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| Image | Crossing | Carries or connects | Location | Built | Length | Notes | Coordinates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlestown Bridge (officially: William Felton "Bill" Russell Bridge) | (N. Washington St) | Boston to Charlestown | 1900 | 331.9m (1,088.9feet) | The MBTA Orange Line used this bridge, before the upstream tunnel was completed in 1975.Site of a ferry established in 1630;[1] obsoleted by the Charles River Bridge, built 1786 | |||
| (New) Charles River Dam | pedestrians and bikers | 1978 | Fish ladder, pumps and three locks for navigation.Site of the Warren Bridge, built 1828, demolished 1962. | |||||
| Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge | 2003 | 442.2m (1,450.8feet) | Replaced Charlestown High Bridge, built 1956, demolished 2004 | |||||
| Haymarket North Extension tunnel | MBTA Orange Line | 1975 | ||||||
| Leverett Circle Connector Bridge | I-93 exit 18 onramp and offramp | Boston to Cambridge | 1999 | 253m (830feet) | ||||
| MBTA Commuter Rail Charles River Bridge | MBTA Commuter Rail at North Station | 1931 | Bascule drawbridgeSite of Boston and Lowell Railroad Charles River Bridge, built 1835, first movable railroad bridge in the United States[2] | |||||
| MBTA Green Line Lechmere Viaduct | MBTA Green Line | 1912 | ||||||
| (Old) Charles River Dam Bridge | (Charles River Dam Rd) | 1910 | 25m (82feet) | The Boston Museum of Science is located on this bridge | ||||
| Longfellow Bridge | (Main St/Cambridge St) MBTA Red Line | 1907 | 650.7m (2,134.8feet) | MBTA Red Line in median; built in 1907 as the Cambridge Bridge, renamed for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1927.Site of West Boston Bridge, built 1793 | ||||
| Harvard Bridge | 1891, 1909 (rebuilt), 1924 (overhaul), 1990 (rebuilt) | 659.9m (2,165feet) | Longest bridge over the Charles. Northern terminus at MIT, not Harvard University. | |||||
| Boston University Bridge | 1927 | built as the Cottage Farm Bridge, renamed in 1949 | ||||||
| Grand Junction Railroad Bridge | MBTA Grand Junction Branch | crosses the river under the Boston University Bridge | ||||||
| River Street Bridge | River St/Cambridge St | 1926 | ||||||
| Western Avenue Bridge | Western Avenue | 1924 | 85.3m (279.9feet) | |||||
| John W. Weeks Bridge | pedestrians | 1926 | the only footbridge across the basin, with a Harvard campus steam tunnel inside | |||||
| Anderson Memorial Bridge | N. Harvard Street/JFK Street | 1912 | 70.7m (232feet) | A memorial to Nicholas Longworth Anderson donated by his son Larz AndersonSite of a ferry established 1635 at the foot of Dunster Street in Cambridge, at canal/creek;[3] obsoleted by Great Bridge,[4] built 1662, rebuilt 1862 | ||||
| Eliot Bridge | Soldiers Field Rd, Memorial Drive | 1950 | 91.4m (299.9feet) | a memorial to Charles W. Eliot, Harvard president 1869–1909, and his son Charles Eliot, landscape architect for the Metropolitan Park Commission | ||||
| Arsenal Street Bridge | Arsenal St/Western Ave | Brighton to Watertown | 1925 | 61.9m (203.1feet) | ||||
| North Beacon Street Bridge | 1917 | 62.5m (205.1feet) | ||||||
| Watertown Bridge | Watertown | about 1907 | 27.4m (89.9feet) | |||||
| Watertown Dam | no crossing | 1900 | The Charles River Watershed Association has proposed removal of the dam.[5] | |||||
| Cpl. Joseph U. Thompson Footbridge | pedestrians and bicycles | Demolished 2017[6] | ||||||
| Cpl. Joseph U. Thompson Footbridge (new) | 2018 | Replaced old span | ||||||
| Bridge Street Bridge | Bridge St | Newton to Watertown | 29.3m (96.1feet) | |||||
| Bemis Dam (breached) | no crossing | 1821[7] | breached 1944 | |||||
| Blue Heron Footbridge | Charles River Bike Path | 2005 | ||||||
| Farwell Street Bridge | Farwell St | Waltham | 33.4m (109.6feet) | |||||
| Bleachery Footbridge | Former pedestrian bridge site, demolished 1960s. | |||||||
| Bleachery Dam | no crossing | 1794 | originally Gore Paper Mill dam | |||||
| Mary T. Early Footbridge | 2004 | formerly Calvary Street Footbridge | ||||||
| Boston & Maine Railroad trestle (abandoned) | abandoned Watertown Branch Railroad | Demolished in 2016 | ||||||
| Charles F. Graceffa Bridge | Newton Street | 1877 | 27.4m (89.9feet) | |||||
| Elm Street Bridge | Elm St | 71.9m (235.9feet) | ||||||
| Boston & Maine Railroad trestle (abandoned) | abandoned Watertown Branch | Demolished in 2015 | ||||||
| Richard Landry Park footbridge | 1978 | |||||||
| Waltham Dam or Moody Street Dam | 1836 | original Eden Vale dam built 1785 | ||||||
| Moody Street bridge | 1946 | 68.6m (225.1feet) | original built 1846, rebuilt 1871, 1921 | |||||
| Gold Star Mothers Bridge | 1889 | 40.2m (131.9feet) | Carries Prospect Street; drawbridge 1882 | |||||
| Commonwealth Avenue/South Avenue Bridge | Newton to Weston | site of old Norumbega Bridge | ||||||
| I-90/I-95 connector | original Mass Pike terminus until 1964 | |||||||
| Massachusetts Turnpike Boston Extension (Interstate 90) | 316.1m (1,037.1feet) | |||||||
| I-90/I-95 connector | ||||||||
| Footbridge from Riverside Rd., Newton to Recreation Rd., Weston | pedestrians | demolished 2023; replacement under construction, scheduled for completion in 2025[8] | ||||||
| http://www.newtonma.gov/civicax/filebank/documents/39618 | Road bridge from Riverside Rd., Newton to Recreation Rd., Weston | demolished 1960s around time of Massachusetts Turnpike Extension | ||||||
| CSX/MBTA railroad bridge | Framingham/Worcester Line | Single-arch concrete span | ||||||
| Pony Truss Bridge[9] | pedestrians | accessible from Riverside Park[10] off Recreation Rd., Weston | ||||||
| I-95 offramp | 180.4m (591.9feet) | northbound exits 23–25; originally Route 128 until 1964 | ||||||
| I-95 / Route 128 | 93.6m (307.1feet) | |||||||
| Concord Street/Park Road bridge | 24.7m (81feet) | |||||||
| Leo J. Martin Golf Club Footbridge | Newton to Wellesley | |||||||
| Newton–Wellesley Lower Falls Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge | rebuilt 2012[11] | formerly abandoned Boston & Albany RR Newton Lower Falls Branch bridge | ||||||
| Washington Street Bridge | 43m (141feet) | |||||||
| Finlay Dam | ||||||||
| Cordingly Dam and Falls | ||||||||
| Mary Hunnewell Fyffe Footbridge | 1983[12] | Previous bridges built in 1909 and before 1906 | ||||||
| Wales Street/Walnut Street Bridge | 17.9m (58.7feet) | |||||||
| Cochituate Aqueduct | Closed. | 1848 | ||||||
| I-95 / Route 128 | ||||||||
| Boston-Worcester Turnpike Bridge | 23.2m (76.1feet) | |||||||
| Metropolitan Circular Dam | No crossing. | 2010s replacement for older dam | ||||||
| Echo Bridge | pedestrians, bicycles, and the Sudbury Aqueduct | Newton to Needham | 1876 | |||||
| Silk Mill Dam | No crossing. | |||||||
| Elliot Street/Central Avenue Bridge | Eliot St/Central Ave | |||||||
| rail bridge | Closed. | Formerly carried the Charles River Railroad. A proposal was made in 2023 to rehabilitate the bridge as a link in a proposed "Newton/Needham Community Way".[13] | ||||||
| Needham Street Bridge | Needham Street, Newton / Highland Avenue, Needham | 1875 | 27.7m (90.9feet) | |||||
| Christina Street rail bridge | Closed. | The City of Newton is studying the replacement of this bridge with a new structure.[14] | ||||||
| Kendrick Street/Nahanton Street Bridge | Kendrick St/Nahanton St | 49.4m (162.1feet) | ||||||
| MBTA Commuter Rail Needham Line bridge | West Roxbury to Needham | |||||||
| Honorable Robert L. Cawley Bridge | Bridge Street, Dedham / Spring Street, West Roxbury | West Roxbury to Dedham | 21.3m (69.9feet) | |||||
| Ames Street Bridge | Dedham | 35.7m (117.1feet) | A footbridge was first built in this location in 1640 by William Bullard and John Eaton. It was the first crossing in Dedham.[15] | |||||
| Bridge Street Bridge | 21.3m (69.9feet) | |||||||
| Interstate 95/Route 128 | Needham to Dedham | 98.5m (323.2feet) (SB) 89m (292feet) (NB) | Between exits 17 & 18 on I-95 | |||||
| Greendale Avenue/Lyons Street Bridge | 1879 | 17.1m (56.1feet) | There has been a bridge on the site since the 1740s, but the current bridge was built in 1879.[16] | |||||
| Route 135/West Street/Dedham Avenue Bridge | 17.1m (56.1feet) | |||||||
| Chestnut Street Bridge | Needham to Dover | 33.8m (110.9feet) | ||||||
| dam | No crossing. | A USGS flow gauge is located here. | ||||||
| dam | No crossing. | |||||||
| Willow Street/South Street Bridge | 17m (56feet) | |||||||
| rail bridge | Closed. | Formerly carried the Charles River Railroad | ||||||
| Central Ave/Centre Street Bridge | 20.7m (67.9feet) | |||||||
| missing bridge? | ||||||||
| Dover Road/Charles River Street Bridge | 38.6m (126.6feet) | |||||||
| Cheney Drive Bridge | 19.5m (64feet) | Access road to Elm Bank Reservation. | ||||||
| Water Street Bridge | No longer extant. | South Natick | ||||||
| Pleasant Street Bridge | 34.4m (112.9feet) | |||||||
| South Natick Dam | In 2022, the Town of Natick Select Board voted to seek state approval to remove the dam.[17] | |||||||
| Sargent Bridge | No public access. | |||||||
| Farm Road/Bridge Street Bridge | Sherborn to Dover | |||||||
| rail bridge | CSX Framingham Secondary | Sherborn to Medfield | ||||||
| South Main Street/North Meadows Road Bridge | 21.9m (71.9feet) | |||||||
| former bridge? | ||||||||
| rail bridge | Millis Industrial Track | Medfield to Millis | ||||||
| Dover Road Bridge | Bridge site going back to 1640s, including one burnt by Native Americans during King Philip's War in 1675. | |||||||
| Turner Bridge (Main Street Bridge) | 20.1m (65.9feet) | |||||||
| Dwight's Bridge | Dwight Street Millis to Medfield | Over the Charles River off Causeway Street on Dwight Street. This was so named and built so Timothy Dwight could get to land he owned in the area. This bridge was washed out in the Great 1936 Flood and never rebuilt.[18] | ||||||
| Forest Road/Orchard Street Bridge | 17.7m (58.1feet) | |||||||
| Norfolk Road Bridge | Millis | 21.9m (71.9feet) | ||||||
| Dean Street/Pleasant Street Bridge | ||||||||
| Destroyed railroad bridge | Medway Branch | 1852 | Rail line was abandoned in 1864. Bridge abutments remain. | |||||
| Myrtle Street bridge | 22.1m (72.5feet) | |||||||
| Destroyed railroad bridge | Medway Branch | 1852 | Medway | Rail line was abandoned in 1864. Bridge abutments remain. | ||||
| Walker Street Bridge | 24.4m (80.1feet) | |||||||
| Sanford Street Bridge | Medway to Franklin | |||||||
| Sanford Mill Dam | ||||||||
| Shaw Street/Elm Street Bridge | ||||||||
| Woodland Park Bridge | ||||||||
| dam | No crossing. | |||||||
| Franklin Street/Pond Street Bridge | 10.1m (33.1feet) | |||||||
| Pearl Street Bridge | Bellingham | 20.5m (67.3feet)[19] | ||||||
| Plymouth Road Bridge | 12.5m (41feet) | |||||||
| Maple Street Bridge | 12.2m (40feet) | |||||||
| Maple Street Dam | ||||||||
| I-495 bridge | 10.1m (33.1feet) | |||||||
| High Street Bridge | 10.7m (35.1feet) | |||||||
| footbridge | Onetime road bridge site | |||||||
| North Main Street Bridge | 9.4m (30.8feet) | |||||||
| rail bridge | ||||||||
| Depot Street Bridge | 16.5m (54.1feet) | |||||||
| Hartford Avenue Bridge | Bellingham to Mendon/Hopedale | |||||||
| rail bridge | Bellingham to Hopedale | |||||||
| Mellen Street Bridge and Dam | Bellingham to Hopedale | |||||||
| Howard Street Bridge | Hopedale to Milford | |||||||
| rail bridge | ||||||||
| Howard Street Bridge | Milford | |||||||
| rail bridge | ||||||||
| Central Street Bridge | ||||||||
| Main Street Culvert | ||||||||
| Milford Pond Dam and Footbridge | ||||||||
| Dilla Street Bridge | ||||||||
| Dilla Street Dam | ||||||||
| old road bridge | ||||||||
| culvert | Upper Charles Trail | |||||||
| I-495 culvert (Exit 20) | ||||||||
| Wildcat Pond Bridge and Dam | Private road | |||||||
| footbridge | ||||||||
| bridge | Upper Charles River Trail | |||||||
| Route 85 bridge | ||||||||
| footbridge | ||||||||
| bridge | Upper Charles River Trail | |||||||
| footbridge | ||||||||
| footbridge | ||||||||
| Route 85 bridge | ||||||||
| Echo Lake Dam | No crossing. | Hopkinton |
