News Reports and Social Media Highlight Dangerous North End Intersection

Although construction on the new North Washington St. Bridge isn’t estimated to be completed for two more years, pedestrians crossing the nearby intersection North End say it presents a clear danger that the city of Boston must address now. An Instagram account called @northwashingtonstbridge has taken to documenting the “traffic and safety nightmares” associated with the bridge that connects Charlestown to the North End. The intersection is frequented by parents and children, tourists following the Freedom Trail, and cyclists and pedestrians commuting to work. They often have to weave around traffic that is blocking the intersection even when the walk sign is on due to the traffic overflow from the bottleneck caused by the North Washington St. Bridge.

Channel 7 News’ “7 Investigates” spoke with transportation expert Peter Furth, a Northeastern professor of civil and environmental engineering, about the dangerous intersection. He cited it being “way over capacity” and emblematic of “terrible traffic management,” and has made suggestions to the Boston Transportation Department to ameliorate it. The last few weeks have seen increased police enforcement to prevent vehicles from blocking the crosswalk, but it remains inconsistent. NBC10 also reported on the story a few weeks ago, detailing the cause of the new bridge’s delays and interviewing Katy Fleming, a Charlestown mother whose child was nearly killed when crossing the street last year.

WalkBoston is glad to see concerned residents speaking up about the danger the intersection poses, and are hopeful that this increased media attention will encourage the city to take immediate action before someone gets hurt.