Demolition began on the bridge to Boston Harbor’s Long Island on Monday, which was once home to 700 homeless people in shelters and treatment programs.
Crews are out removing utility lines from the bridge this week, and reinstalling them underwater. Workers will disassemble the steel span, leaving the piers.
This follows long-standing concerns about the structure. The bridge was condemned on October 8. Mayor Walsh also ordered the evacuation of about 700 homeless people in shelters and treatment programs on Long Island. Demolition of the bridge is expected to be complete by April 30. And with funding from the city and Mass Department of Transportation, the bridge could be rebuilt within three years, to the tune of about $90 million.
The real question now is the future use of the island. The plans for that land are still uncertain, and the city has not committed to putting the homeless back on Long Island.
