Bridges in Chelsea
In the early days of the Mass Bay Colony, the most direct and only route between Boston, Salem and the North was through Chelsea.

Chelsea began a ferry in 1631 that ran from Chelsea to Charlestown and to Boston, but this was incapable of carrying horse and wagons. Foul weather or bad seas were reasons that the ferry did not operate on certain days. The only other way to Boston from Chelsea was an all day trip of about 20 miles through Malden, Medford to Cambridge and Brighton to Roxbury and Dorchester to Boston.

In 1802 legislative authority was granted the Salem Turnpike and the Chelsea Bridge Corporation to construct, maintain and operate a toll bridge between Chelsea and Charlestown. In 1803 the first bridge was built spanning the Mystic River connecting Chelsea and Charlestown.
Boston from the Naval Hospital Hill, Chelsea, showing the Chelsea Toll Bridge, Navy Yard and Bunker Hill.		This bridge was a toll bridge. Abel Gardner was the toll collector on the bridge. He built a house on lower Broadway near the enterance to Admirals Hill in 1805. It became known as the Gardner House and is still standing today, the second oldest house in Chelsea. Gardner House
The bridge provided a 32 foot roadway which was narrowed down to 16 feet at the draw spans across the North and South channels. Each draw span provided a 30 foot clear waterway. Daily account of tolls received at the Chelsea Bridge on January 25, 1804. Click to enlarge  In November of 1869 the tolls were abolished and passage was declared free. The draw span over the north channel was rebuilt in 1873 to a length of 110 feet and a 36 foot roadway width. This became necessary because of growing boat traffic to businesses and manufacturing firms beginning to locate along the shores of the Mystic, Island End and Malden Rivers.  Additionally, with the advent of steam boats which were growing in size. In 1880 the draw span near Charlestown was designated the "Chelsea South Bridge" and the draw span near Chelsea was designated the "Chelsea North Bridge".  In 1834 a free bridge was constructed from Chelsea Street East Boston to Chelsea. This was known as the Chelsea Street Bridge. Although rebuilt many times it remained in the same location.  The Meridian Street Bridge extending from Meridian Street East Boston to Pearl Street Chelsea was built in 1856. In 1832 the Winnisimmet Ferry Company converted to running new steam ferries replacing the old sailboats. The construction of bridges had hurt the ferry service along with the electric trolley and eventually the motorized truck and auto. The ferry came to an end in 1917 after 286 years of service to the public. As time progressed the firms grew in number and so did the river traffic going through the Old North Draw Bridge. With the invention of motorized vehicles land traffic going over the bridge also increased. The continuous opening of the drawbridge and the increasing number of vehicles caused traffic jams that backed up in Chelsea all the way to Chelsea Square. Something had to be done to alleviate the problem.  In the early twenties efforts were being made to ease the congestion mostly with plans for a new and suitable bridge. Nothing definite ever came of it. Due to the various emergency situations especially during WWII, the State Highway Commission recommended the construction of a new bridge. It was this proposal that was used by the legislature to authorize the creation of the Mystic River Bridge Authority. Vigorous but unsuccessful efforts to block construction or to change the route of the bridge were attempted. Public hearings, protest meetings, visits to the State House and trips to Washington, DC occurred but all to no avail. Ground was broken on April 12, 1948 the 40th anniversary of the Chelsea Fire of 1908. Seventy homes were moved to Gilooly road and Webster Ave. The homes that could not be moved were torn down. The construction affected hundreds of people.
Lower Broadway where it meets the ocean, on Jan 3, 1949 at a time when the construction of the Mystic River Bridge is well under way.		Chelsea, 1949. A swath is being cut through the heart of the city where the Mystic River Bridge is about to take form.
Construction of the Mystic River Bridge through Chelsea, 1949		Completion of the main span of The Mystic River Bridge 1950. The "Old Chelsea Drawbridge" in the distance.
The lower end of Broadway was a flurry of construction in January of 1949. Just one year into the project, construction of the Mystic River Bridge meant several homes had to be torn down to make way for progress.
The Mystic River Bridge was built at a cost of $27 million and was officially dedicated on February 25, 1950. The structure extends 11,906 feet from grade to grade. It is a double deck cantilever bridge with a roadway forty two feet wide. The main span construction took over 50,000 tons of steel and is 800 feet long. The bridge stands 258 feet at its highest point and has a clearance of 135 feet over mean high water. Just under 30 million vehicles cross the bridge annually. In 1950, the first year the span opened, 8.6 million vehicles travelled over it.		Mystic River Bridge Opening February, 1950
One of the last photographs of the "Old Chelsea Drawbridge" is shown above as a ship passes through while above it spans the yet to be opened Mystic River Bridge.		The bridge was later renamed the Tobin Bridge after the late Govenor Maurice J. Tobin. The Tobin Bridge
On Tuesday morning September 11, 1973 at 6:05 AM. An 18 wheel trailer truck weighing about 60 tons with a load of gravel lost control on the lower level and tore out a supporting stanchion. This resulted in the collapse of a 120 foot section of the upper level. The accident occurred about 300 feet from the Charlestown off ramp creating a massive traffic jam. The bridge was closed down on both levels for several months. The driver was trapped and died in the accident. He was finally cut loose by Chelsea Ladder 1 "Jaws of Life".
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