The Anderson Memorial Bridge, popularly known as the "Larz Anderson Bridge," is a vital transportation link connecting the cities of Cambridge and Boston and the primary connection between two Harvard University campuses.  The bridge is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places as an integral and contributing component of the Charles River Basin Historic District. 

The project design will be sensitive to and respect the bridge's historic status and visual and architectural significance.  MassDOT will work within the guidelines of the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, Section 106, and with the Massachusetts Historical Commission, Cambridge Historical Commission and Boston Landmarks Commission to ensure that historic issues are identified and addressed.

MassDOT is carrying out the rehabilitation project as part of the Commonwealth's $3 billion Accelerated Bridge Program, which is expediting the rehabilitation or replacement of bridges with serious deficiencies by 2016. 

The goals of the Anderson Memorial Bridge Rehabilitation Project are to improve the bridge's structural integrity and enhance accessibility. The project will repair deteriorated elements of the bridge, upgrade structural capacity and improve local street connections and accessibility. The project also includes landscape restoration and stormwater upgrades. The proposed rehabilitation will respect the documented historic status of this landmark structure and preserve as many of the original elements as possible. MassDOT is committed to the goals of minimizing disruptions to all bridge users and maintaining access during rehabilitation construction.

The Anderson Memorial Bridge was built in 1915 by Larz Anderson as a memorial to his father Nicolas Longworth Anderson, a Major General in the Civil War.  The neoclassical masonry ornamentation of the bridge is intended to complement the brick Georgian Revival architecture of the Harvard University buildings lining the banks of the Charles River.  The bridge is considered a strategic historic bridge that links the main Harvard campus in Cambridge with the iconic Harvard Stadium and Business School in Allston.  The original bridge plans referred to the structure as the Stadium Bridge over the Charles River. 

The bridge is a three-span structure that measures 232 feet between abutments and has an overall length of 440 feet when retained fill approaches are included. The arches are cast-in-place concrete with brick ring arches. The bridge piers and abutments are made of massive unreinforced "stone concrete" supported by closely spaced timbers.  Since the bridge was built in the early 1900s, institutional, commercial and recreational use within and around the Charles River Basin has grown exponentially.  The corresponding demands on the bridge, coupled with its age and condition, necessitate rehabilitation. 

As part of the permitting and preliminary design phase, MassDOT's design team reviewed existing information, including the Charles River Basin Infrastructure Synchronization Project Report, and conducted in-depth site investigations to define the structural condition of the various bridge components and establish rehabilitation requirements for the project. Permits filed for and received include Order of Conditions from the City of Cambridge and Boston, Army Corps Permit, DCR Construction Permit and ENF Certificate.

As planning and design proceed, the project team will coordinate with projects that are rehabilitating or reconstructing other Charles River bridges and access roads in order to manage and minimize impacts to the communities. The team will also coordinate with events such as the Head of the Charles, Harvard/Yale football games and commencements to ensure the project does not impact activities. Two travel lanes in each direction and one side walk will be maintained at all times during construction. Also two arch barrels will be open at all time for river navigation during construction.

The design and construction of the bridge will be managed and overseen by MassDOT. The project was advertised on September 23, 2011 and bids were opened on January 24, 2012. Construction is scheduled to begin in the Spring of 2012. Work on this structure will be coordinated with scheduled and ongoing repair efforts on many of the other bridges in the Charles River Basin.