User:Nomobono

Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge
Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge
Coordinates	42°22′07.5″N 71°03′47.5″W / 42.368750°N 71.063194°W / 42.368750; -71.063194
Carries	Interstate 93 and U.S. Route 1
Crosses	Charles River, MBTA Orange Line
Locale	Boston, Massachusetts
Official name	Leonard P Zakim-Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge
Owner	Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Maintained by	Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Characteristics
Design	Hybrid Steel and Concrete Cable-stayed bridge[1]
Total length	1,432 ft (436 m)
Width	183 ft (56 m)
Height	270 ft (82 m)[2]
Longest span	745 ft (227 m)
Clearance below	40 ft (12 m)[3]
History
Opened	March 30, 2003 (NB) December 20, 2003 (SB)[3]
Nomobono (Massachusetts)
Location
Interactive map of Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge

A force to be reckoned with, the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge (known in short as the Zakim Bridge) spans just under 1,500 feet, at 1,457 feet in total span, and with a main span of a length of 795 feet. The Zakim Bridge is more than just a successful cable-stayed bridge: it is a landmark. The Zakim Bridge, was constructed starting in 1997 and finished in 2002. It wasn’t long after construction that the bridge would be come to be known as Boston’s signature span. Interestingly enough, the construction of the Zakim Bridge took place during the “Big Dig” in Boston, a project that was approved to renovate a means of getting across the Charles River by means of numerous tunnels and the large cable-stayed bridge that is the Zakim Bridge. Unfortunately, the tunnel aspect of the Big Dig was something close to a massive failure, with roof tiles in the tunnel detaching which killed one person and injured another, especially considering the cost of the project was close to $800 million, the bridge alone costing $105 million. The Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge is a bridge that was constructed with economy taking the backseat to safety, with an extremely efficient and elegant design.

The Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge was opened fully for traffic on December 20, 2003, and was part of the notorious "Big Dig", which threw Boston into a state of economic trouble. The whole project costed $800 million, the Zakim Bridge alone costing $105 million. The Zakim Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge made of steel and concrete and is located in Boston, Massachusetts. The Zakim Bridge carries traffic over the Charles River on Interstate 93 and U.S. Route 1, it is owned by the state of Massachusetts, and it is mainatined by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The bridge has a total length of 1,432 feet, with the longest span of 745 feet, and ten lanes carried over a width of 183 feet, and a height of 270 feet while standing 40 feet above water.

The Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge is a beastly structure. While standing 270 feet tall and with a total length of nearly 1,500 feet, the structure is indeed art. The evidence of these qualifications are easily seen through the general elegance of the structure, in addition to the stability and the structural work it does. Not only is the Zakim Bridge the widest cable-stayed bridge in the world, it is also the United States first hybrid cable-stayed bridge because it uses both steel and concrete in it's frame. This was done to memorialize the Battle of Bunker Hill and the civil activist Leonard P. Zakim. Aside from the elegance of the structure, the Zakim Bridge qualifies as Structural Art because of its ingenious design. The Zakim Bridge uses the natural weight of the deck and the live load in the cables to support the deck of the bridge, which is distributed into the cables through tension forces, which is then brought into the two main towers, which is then brought down into the ground to a large cement abutment. In addition to the ingenuity of it's design, the Zakim Bridge is built to withstand lateral wind loads of up to 400 mph and earthquakes up to magnitudes of 7.9. Finally, the last part of the Zakim Bridge that qualifies it as Structural Art comes with its social importance it has on the city of Boston. The bridge is known as "Boston's Signature Span" and is a symbol of home for many a Bostonian.

The social impacts of the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge are undeniable because of the bridge’s popularity. If the Big Dig wasn’t enough hype, the construction of this monstrosity of a cable-stayed bridge drew the awe of almost all who witnessed the process. The massive towers and the cables are very visible from the roadway, and anywhere above the city skyline. A structure of this magnitude, carrying a total of 10 traffic lanes (5 lanes in each direction), almost immediately becomes the talk of the town. It was so popular in fact, that it was named the Travel Channel’s #9 in their World’s Top Ten Bridges, mainly because it carries 10 traffic lanes, more than any other cable-stayed bridge ever built. Economically however, the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, was part of an $800 million bill that was used by both the bridge construction and the tunnel construction. When construction was all done, the total cost of the Zakim Bridge came to $105 million, which considering the massive success of the bridge, and it’s social value, it is arguable that the investment was worthwhile.

1. Boston Roads. "Leonard P Zakim-Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge." Boston Area Roads, Crossings and Exits. Bostonroads.com. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.

<http://www.bostonroads.com/crossings/zakim/>.

2. "Big Dig Ceiling Collapse." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Feb. 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dig_ceiling_collapse>.

3. "Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Feb. 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2012

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_P._Zakim_Bunker_Hill_Memorial_Bridge>.

4. - "The Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge." The Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge. Web. 28 Feb. 2012. <http://www.leonardpzakimbunkerhillbridge.org/>.