MassDOT Announces Tree Removals to Prepare for
New Pedestrian Bridge Construction in Boston and Work in Cambridge
Beginning on Saturday, September 19, MassDOT’s contractor for the Longfellow Bridge
Rehabilitation Project, White-Skanska-Consigli (WSC), will begin the final phase of tree
removals. The work is necessary to prepare for construction of the new pedestrian bridge
connecting the Esplanade with Charles Circle, and to accommodate construction activities in
Cambridge and at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) parking lot.
One tree between the pedestrian bridge and the Mugar Way off-ramp from Storrow Drive will be
removed on September 19. The contractor anticipates taking down the remainder of the trees
scheduled for removal beginning the first week of October. Thirty-four trees in the vicinity of the
existing pedestrian bridge on the Esplanade will be removed, along with one in the LAZ parking
lot for MEEI and two within the project construction fencing in Cambridge.
Pruning and other protective measures will be in place for trees that will not be removed, such
as placing wood slats (or cladding) around the trunks and fencing to protect the root systems.
Trees scheduled for removal are marked with an orange “X” on the trunk.
MassDOT has coordinated extensively with the Department of Conservation and Recreation
and the Boston and Cambridge Conservation Commissions in planning for the removals and
understands the value residents and visitors place on trees. Every effort has been made to
minimize the number of impacted trees through careful design. A landscape architect and a
certified arborist are part of the project team and will monitor the work.
For more information, visit the project website at www.mass.gov/massdot/longfellowbridge. For
questions or issues and concerns related to construction, please call the project hotline at 617519-9892 or email longfellowbridge@state.ma.us. View construction progress photos on
MassDOT’s Longfellow Bridge Flickr Album.