What is the Future of the Bowker Overpass?

The Bowker Overpass, the bridge that extends Charlesgate Street by connecting Storrow Drive and Boylston Street, will undergo a $1.8 million repair project next spring while its longterm future remains undecided, a Massachusetts Department of Transportation spokesperson said.

The repair project will be advertized as for bid in November and is expected to commence next spring. "This upcoming work allows us to keep our infrastructure in a state of good repair to safely serve drivers until the area's future is decided," said Sara Lavoie. The new construction will include rail repairs, painting and structural steel replacement, Lavoie said.

While those repairs will serve the overpass in the present, two community groups - Esplanade 2020 and the Kenmore Association - have expressed their desire to see the overpass completely removed, saying such action would further beautify the space Bowker occupies between the Emerald Necklace and the Esplanade.

Earlier this month, the state began exploring in a public meeting four potential long-term solutions that would meet these neighbors' wishes, three of which involved completely elminating the overpass and one of which focused on grounding it after crossing I90.

Any of the three projects that would eliminate the overpass would involve the development of alternate roadways to keep current Back Bay and Kenmore-Fenway routes from becoming overburdened. Action on this front would still be a few years out, necessitating next year's plans to repair the current structure.

Meanwhile, DOT is looking into adding another access point to I90 from the Back Bay. Construction of a westbound ramp from Bowker has been identified as one of four standing possibilities, as have ramps from Brookline Avenue, Trinity Place/Stuart Street and Berkeley Street. Only one of these alternatives would be chosen, Lavoie said, and action upon these plans remains "several years out."