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Coordinates: 42°21′08″N 71°05′19″W / 42.35222°N 71.08861°W / 42.35222; -71.08861
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{{Short description|Parkway along the Charles River in Boston}}
{{for|the western continuation of this parkway|Soldiers Field Road}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox street
{{Infobox street
|name=Storrow Drive
|name=Storrow Drive
|alternate_name=[[James J. Storrow|James Jackson Storrow]] Drive<br>[[David G. Mugar]] Way
|alternate_name=[[James J. Storrow|James Jackson Storrow]] Drive<br />[[David G. Mugar]] Way
|image=Storrow_Drive.png
|image=Storrow_Drive.png
|length_mi=1.98<!--MP4.0372 to MP6.0124 of Route N082-->
|length_mi=1.98<!--MP4.0372 to MP6.0124 of Route N082-->
|length_ref=
|length_ref=
|length_notes=as Storrow Drive
|length_notes=
|inauguration_date=1951<ref name="opening"/>
|inauguration_date=1951<ref name="opening"/>
|maint=[[Department of Conservation and Recreation (Massachusetts)|Massachusetts DCR]]
|maint=[[Department of Conservation and Recreation (Massachusetts)|Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation]]
|direction_a=West
|direction_a=West
|terminus_a=[[Soldiers Field Road]] in [[Fenway–Kenmore]]
|terminus_a=[[Soldiers Field Road]] in [[Fenway–Kenmore]]
|junction={{jct|state=MA|MA|2A}} in [[Back Bay]]<br>{{jct|state=MA|MA|28}} in Back Bay
|junction={{jct|state=MA|MA|2A}} in [[Back Bay]]<br />{{jct|state=MA|MA|28}} in Back Bay
|direction_b=East
|direction_b=East
|terminus_b={{jct|state=MA|I|93|US|1|MA|3|MA|28}} in [[West End, Boston|West End]]
|terminus_b={{jct|state=MA|I|93|US|1|MA|3|MA|28}} in [[West End, Boston|West End]]
⚫
| coordinates = {{Coord|42|21|08|N|71|05|19|W|region:US-MA_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki|display=title,inline}}
}}
}}

[[File:Storrow Drive, Boston.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Storrow Drive, Leverett Circle Tunnel]]
[[File:Storrow Drive, Boston.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Storrow Drive, Leverett Circle Tunnel]]


'''Storrow Drive''' is a major crosstown [[parkway]] in [[Boston, Massachusetts]], running east and north along the [[Charles River]] to [[Leverett Circle]].<ref name=gershkoff>{{cite book|title=The Boston Driver's Handbook: Wild in the Streets: The Almost Post Big Dig Edition |edition=3rd |first=Ira|last=Gershkoff|author2=Richard Trachtman |pages=27–29|year=2004|publisher=Da Capo Press |location=Cambridge, MA |isbn=0-306-81326-2 |oclc=53970660 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cx4nXwtU2Q8C&lpg=PA28&pg=PA27#v=twopage&f=false}}</ref> It is restricted to cars; trucks and buses are not permitted on it. The road, legally known as '''[[James Jackson Storrow]] Memorial Drive''', officially ends at its eastward junction with [[Route 28 (Massachusetts)|Route 28]] (near Arlington Street) and continues as '''[[David G. Mugar]] Way''' (formerly '''Embankment Road'''), [[Concurrency (road)|concurrent]] with Route 28.
'''Storrow Drive''', officially '''James Jackson Storrow Memorial Drive''', is a major crosstown [[parkway]] in [[Boston, Massachusetts]], running east–west along the southern bank of the [[Charles River]].<ref name=gershkoff>{{cite book|title=The Boston Driver's Handbook: Wild in the Streets: The Almost Post Big Dig Edition |edition=3rd |first1=Ira|last1=Gershkoff|first2=Richard|last2= Trachtman |pages=27–29|year=2004|publisher=Da Capo Press |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |isbn=0-306-81326-2 |oclc=53970660 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cx4nXwtU2Q8C&pg=PA27}}</ref> It is restricted to cars; trucks and buses are not permitted on it, while pedestrian access is available via walking paths on the Charles River side of the road. Boston drivers use the route for quick access to downtown locations.<ref name=gershkoff/>


⚫
The parkway is named for [[James J. Storrow]], an investment banker who led a campaign to create the Charles River Basin and preserve and improve the riverbanks as a public park. He had never advocated a parkway beside the river, and [[Helen Storrow]], his widow, publicly opposed it.<ref>{{cite book |last = Berg |first = Shary Page |title = Charles River Esplanade Study Report |publisher = Boston Landmarks Commission |date = June 23, 2009 |url = http://www.cityofboston.gov/images_documents/Charles%20River%20Esplanade%20Study%20Report,%20as%20amended_tcm3-12653.pdf |page=33 |access-date = May 7, 2015 }}</ref>
Boston drivers use the route for quick access to downtown locations.<ref name=gershkoff/> Westbound Storrow Drive has a junction with the [[Harvard Bridge]] ([[Route 2A (Massachusetts)|Route 2A]], or [[Massachusetts Avenue (Boston)|Mass. Ave]]). It passes along the northern edge of [[Boston University]] until it reaches a partial junction with the [[Boston University Bridge]] ([[Route 2 (Massachusetts)|Route 2]]), where it becomes [[Soldiers Field Road]].


==Route description==
⚫
Both Storrow Drive and Soldiers Field Road are maintained by the [[Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation]] and are part of the parkway system interconnecting the [[Emerald Necklace]] in Boston and [[Brookline, Massachusetts|Brookline]]. Together with [[Memorial Drive (Cambridge)|Memorial Drive]] and the Cambridge Parkway, Storrow Drive is also part of the [[Charles River Basin Historic District]] (listed in the [[National Register of Historic Places]]). Prior to 1989, Storrow Drive also carried the [[US Route 1]] designation; US Route 1 is now routed concurrently along [[Interstate 93]].
The segment between the interchange with [[Route 28 (Massachusetts)|Route 28]] near [[Copley Square]] and [[Leverett Circle]], the road is officially '''[[David G. Mugar]] Way''' (formerly '''Embankment Road'''), although still signed as Storrow Drive. The entirety of this segment is [[Concurrency (road)|concurrent]] with Route 28. To the west, Storrow Drive ends and becomes [[Soldiers Field Road]] at its partial junction with the [[Boston University Bridge]] ([[Route 2 (Massachusetts)|Route 2]]). In between, westbound Storrow Drive has a junction with the [[Harvard Bridge]] ([[Route 2A (Massachusetts)|Route 2A]], [[Massachusetts Avenue (Boston)|Massachusetts Avenue]]).


⚫
Both Storrow Drive and Soldiers Field Road are maintained by the [[Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation]] and are part of the parkway system interconnecting the [[Emerald Necklace]] in Boston and [[Brookline, Massachusetts|Brookline]]. Together with [[Memorial Drive (Cambridge)|Memorial Drive]] and the Cambridge Parkway, Storrow Drive is also part of the [[Charles River Basin Historic District]] (listed in the [[National Register of Historic Places]]). Prior to 1989, Storrow Drive also carried the [[U.S. Route 1 in Massachusetts|U.S. Route 1]] designation; US 1 is now routed concurrently with [[Interstate 93]] through the [[O'Neill Tunnel]].
==Namesake==
⚫
The parkway is named for [[James J. Storrow]], an investment banker who led a campaign to create the Charles River Basin and preserve and improve the riverbanks as a public park. He had never advocated a parkway beside the river, and his widow publicly opposed it.<ref>{{cite paper | author = Berg, FASLA, Shary Page | title = Charles River Esplanade Study Report | publisher = Boston Landmarks Commission | date = June 23, 2009 | url = http://www.cityofboston.gov/images_documents/Charles%20River%20Esplanade%20Study%20Report,%20as%20amended_tcm3-12653.pdf | format = PDF |page=33 | accessdate = 2015-05-07 }}</ref>


==Traffic issues==
===Traffic issues===
[[File:Storrowandcitgo.JPG|thumb|right|240px|Storrow Drive mid-afternoon]]
[[File:Storrowandcitgo.JPG|thumb|right|240px|Storrow Drive mid-afternoon]]
The road is notorious for speeding and aggressive driving because police enforcement along the road is difficult without a breakdown lane. Radio traffic reports have warned motorists about "ponding" on Storrow Drive, which occurs when snow and frozen ground prevent water from draining properly into storm drains.<ref>{{cite book |title=Morsels from the Better Mousetrap: Tips, Tricks and Tales About Corporate Communications for Small Businesses |first=Dick |last=Amsterdam |author2=Nancy Parsons |year=2000 |publisher=Xlibris Corporation |isbn=0-7388-1674-4 |oclc=0738816744 |page=143}}{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=January 2018}}</ref> The underpasses also commonly flood during heavy rains, sometimes stalling low-riding cars.<ref name="storrowing">[http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2015/08/31/has-boston-outsmarted-storrowing/mVgQ1trEmd1ss7ZVkBxe9H/story.html Has Boston outsmarted Storrowing?<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Additional problems include narrow lanes and very limited visibility on short entrance ramps.
The road is notorious for speeding and aggressive driving because police enforcement along the road is difficult without a breakdown lane. Radio traffic reports have warned motorists about "ponding" on Storrow Drive, which occurs when snow and frozen ground prevent water from draining properly into storm drains.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Quinn |first1=Garrett |title=Right lane reopened in flooded Storrow Drive eastbound tunnel in Boston |url=https://www.masslive.com/news/boston/2013/12/right_lane_reopened_in_storrow.html |access-date=1 September 2024 |work=MassLive |date=19 December 2013 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Epstein |first1=David |title=Weekend nor'easter brings rain and some wind |url=https://www.boston.com/weather/weather/2014/03/28/weekend_noreaster_brings_rain/ |access-date=1 September 2024 |work=Boston.com |date=March 28, 2014}}</ref> The underpasses also commonly flood during heavy rains, sometimes stalling low-riding cars.<ref name="storrowing">{{Cite web|url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2015/08/31/has-boston-outsmarted-storrowing/mVgQ1trEmd1ss7ZVkBxe9H/story.html|title=Has Boston outsmarted Storrowing?<!-- Bot generated title -->}}</ref> Additional problems include narrow lanes and very limited visibility on short entrance ramps.


===Concert parking===
===Concert parking===
Line 35: Line 36:


===Low clearance===
===Low clearance===
There is an abundance of signs giving road clearance height. Despite the signs, a truck or other large vehicle will periodically get wedged under a bridge, which causes traffic to back up for several miles. In one incident a truck full of scissors became stuck and spilled its cargo, causing more than 30 cars to get flat tires.<ref name=gershkoff/> There is a {{convert|10|foot|m}} height limit for the entire parkway.<ref>[http://www2.cambridgema.gov/cityClerk/PolicyOrder.cfm?action=search&item_id=39823&pv=Yes Cambridge, MA policy order resolution], February 11, 2013.</ref> Local media has taken to referring to these kinds of accidents as a truck being "Storrowed".<ref>''[http://www.universalhub.com/topics/driving/storrowed Universal Hub]''</ref>
There is an abundance of signs giving road clearance height.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aknextphase.com/when-back-to-school-getting-storrowed/|title=When Back to School = Getting Storrowed|last=Kaplan|first=Aline|date=August 21, 2018|work=The Next Phase Blog|access-date=September 28, 2019}}</ref> Despite the signs, a truck or other large vehicle will periodically [[bridge strike|get wedged under a bridge]], which causes traffic to back up for several miles. In one incident a truck full of scissors became stuck and spilled its cargo, causing more than 30 cars to get flat tires.<ref name=gershkoff/> There is a {{convert|10|foot|m}} height limit for the entire parkway.<ref>[http://www2.cambridgema.gov/cityClerk/PolicyOrder.cfm?action=search&item_id=39823&pv=Yes Cambridge, MA policy order resolution], February 11, 2013.</ref> Local media has taken to referring to these kinds of accidents as a truck being "Storrowed",<ref>''[http://www.universalhub.com/topics/driving/storrowed Universal Hub]''</ref> and the city of Boston has annual advisories in August to those renting [[box truck]]s for college move-ins to avoid the city's low-clearance parkway system, including Storrow Drive.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/08/21/drive-cannot-drive-moving-truck-storrow-drive-you-cannot-drive-moving-truck-storrow-drive-you-cannot-drive-moving-truck-storrow/CTru6tikV8Nn7oeLpFA9OL/story.html|title=You cannot drive a moving truck on Storrow Drive. You cannot drive a moving truck on Storrow Drive. You cannot drive a moving truck on Storrow Drive|last=Annear|first=Steve|date=August 21, 2019|work=[[The Boston Globe]]|access-date=September 28, 2019}}</ref> Traditionally, locals have often blamed the "Storrowing" incidents on college students,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/08/25/don-get-storrowed-officials-advise-college-students-flocking-city/B8XXjnTdXr4vpYnqVP5lLK/story.html|title=Don't get 'Storrowed,' officials advise college students flocking to city|website=The Boston Globe}}</ref> but many accidents have involved professional truck drivers using phone GPS units meant for passenger cars.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.boston.com/news/technology/2014/09/26/can-we-blame-the-gps-for-storrow-truck-accidents/|title=Can We Blame the GPS for Storrow Truck Accidents?|first=Adam|last=Vaccaro|website=www.boston.com}}</ref> Many companies local to Boston train their drivers on how to avoid "Storrowing",<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://saferesponsiblemovers.com/greater-boston-moving-company/safe-responsible-on-nbc-10-segment-on-storrow-drive-storrowing/|title=How to avoid "Storrowing" - How the best Boston Movers do it|first=Safe Responsible|last=Movers|date=October 28, 2022}}</ref> but truck drivers from other areas may not know about the low clearances.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bostonherald.com/2021/09/04/34-trucks-stuck-on-storrow-drive-last-month/|title=34 trucks stuck on Storrow Drive last month|first=Amy|last=Sokolow|date=September 4, 2021}}</ref>

⚫
===Pedestrian crossings===
⚫
Because Storrow Drive is a high-speed road way, pedestrian access is limited to only the Charles River side of the road. To connect the [[Charles River Esplanade]] and Storrow Drive (a popular park and recreational area along the south bank of the river) to adjacent Boston neighborhoods, a number of [[pedestrian overpass]]es have been constructed. Listed in order from downstream to upstream, they are:<ref name=Cherubino>{{cite web|last1=Cherubino|first1=Penny|last2=Cherubino|first2=Ed|title=How to Get to the Esplanade from Boston|url=http://www.bostonzest.com/2010/06/how-to-get-to-the-esplanade-from-boston.html|website=Boston Zest|access-date=August 20, 2015|date=June 29, 2010}}</ref><ref name=Access>{{cite web|title=Getting to the Park|url=http://www.esplanadeassociation.org/about-the-park/getting-there/|website=The Esplanade Association|access-date=August 20, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924002214/http://www.esplanadeassociation.org/about-the-park/getting-there/|archive-date=September 24, 2015}}</ref>
⚫
*Blossom Street bridge (near [[Massachusetts General Hospital]])
⚫
*[[Frances Appleton Bridge]] (at Cambridge Street, next to [[Longfellow Bridge]])
⚫
*[[Arthur Fiedler]] Bridge (connecting to the [[Hatch Memorial Shell]] near Arlington Street)
⚫
*Dartmouth Street bridge
⚫
*Fairfield Street bridge
⚫
*[[Harvard Bridge]] (at [[Massachusetts Avenue (metropolitan Boston)|Massachusetts Avenue]])
⚫
*[[John Silber|Silber Way]] bridge
⚫
*Boston University [[Marsh Chapel]] bridge
⚫
*[[Boston University Bridge]]


==History==
==History==
Between 1958 and 1971, Storrow Drive was designated '''Massachusetts Routes C1 and C9'''.<ref>{{cite web|title=1938 Map of Boston|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1938_Map_of_Greater_Boston.jpg|publisher=WCVB / MassDOT|accessdate=27 February 2018}}</ref>
Between 1958 and 1971, Storrow Drive was designated '''Massachusetts Routes [[Massachusetts Route C1|C1]] and [[Massachusetts Route C9|C9]]'''.<ref>{{cite web|title=1938 Map of Boston|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1938_Map_of_Greater_Boston.jpg|publisher=WCVB / MassDOT|access-date=February 27, 2018}}</ref>


===Early opposition===
===Early opposition===
[[James Storrow]] had been instrumental in earlier projects along the Charles River, in particular the Charles River Dam. Additions to the [[Charles River Esplanade]] had been made during the 1930s only by omitting an important part of the project, a proposed highway from the [[Longfellow Bridge]] to the Cottage Farm (Boston University) Bridge, which had provoked tremendous protest.<ref name=seaholes>{{cite book |title=Gaining Ground: A History of Landmaking in Boston|first=Nancy S.|last=Seasholes|year=2003|publisher=MIT Press |location=Cambridge, MA |isbn=0-262-19494-5|page=206 |oclc=470179960 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GAHs1C9q1EsC&lpg=PA206&pg=PA206#v=onepage&f=false}}</ref> After [[Helen Storrow]], the wife of the now deceased James Storrow, supported a group opposed to the highway, it was dropped;<ref name=seaholes/> part of the funding was to have come from a million-dollar gift from her.<ref>"Fight begins on $4,855,000 Basin Project", ''[[Boston Evening Transcript]]'', March 6, 1929.</ref> Soon after Helen Storrow's death in 1944, a new proposal for the construction of the highway was pushed through the Massachusetts Legislature. In spite of still strong opposition, and through some dubious parliamentary procedures, the bill approving construction of the highway and naming it after James Storrow was passed in 1949.<ref>"Embankment Road approved by House in stormy session", ''[[The Boston Globe]]'', April 29, 1949.</ref>
[[James Storrow]] had been instrumental in earlier projects along the Charles River, in particular the Charles River Dam. Additions to the [[Charles River Esplanade]] had been made during the 1930s only by omitting an important part of the project, a proposed highway from the [[Longfellow Bridge]] to the Cottage Farm (Boston University) Bridge, which had provoked tremendous protest.<ref name=seaholes>{{cite book |title=Gaining Ground: A History of Landmaking in Boston|first=Nancy S.|last=Seasholes|year=2003|publisher=MIT Press |location=Cambridge, MA |isbn=0-262-19494-5|page=[https://archive.org/details/gaininggroundhis0000seas/page/206 206] |oclc=470179960 |url=https://archive.org/details/gaininggroundhis0000seas|url-access=registration}}</ref> After [[Helen Storrow]], the wife of the now deceased James Storrow, supported a group opposed to the highway, it was dropped;<ref name=seaholes/> part of the funding was to have come from a million-dollar gift from her.<ref>"Fight begins on $4,855,000 Basin Project", ''[[Boston Evening Transcript]]'', March 6, 1929.</ref> Soon after Helen Storrow's death in 1944, a new proposal for the construction of the highway was pushed through the Massachusetts Legislature. In spite of still strong opposition, and through some dubious parliamentary procedures, the bill approving construction of the highway and naming it after James Storrow was passed in 1949.<ref>"Embankment Road approved by House in stormy session", ''[[The Boston Globe]]'', April 29, 1949.</ref>


===Construction===
===Construction===
Line 48: Line 61:
|title=Massachusetts Road Opened
|title=Massachusetts Road Opened
|work=[[The New York Times]]
|work=[[The New York Times]]
|date=1951-06-16
|date=June 16, 1951
|at=Sports section, Page 13
|at=Sports section, Page 13
|accessdate=2007-02-22}}</ref>
|access-date=February 22, 2007}}</ref>


An on-ramp leading from southbound Massachusetts Avenue to eastbound Storrow Drive was constructed but later removed, leaving an island of greenspace between the inbound and outbound carriageways.<ref name="storrowing" /> Overpasses to Fenway via Charlesgate and in the vicinity of Massachusetts General Hospital were completed a few years later; the Arthur Fiedler Footbridge was completed in 1953.<ref name="storrowing" /> In 1960, high-pressure air from a sewage tunnel under construction caused a geyser-like eruption and damaged the roadway near the BU bridge.<ref name="storrowing" /> The pedestrian overpass near the Longfellow Bridge was constructed in 1962.<ref name="storrowing" /> A "Reverse Curve" sign near downtown was vandalized to say "Reverse the Curse", a reference to the [[Curse of the Bambino]]; the sign was removed after the [[Red Sox]] won the [[2004 World Series]].
An on-ramp leading from southbound Massachusetts Avenue to eastbound Storrow Drive was constructed but later removed, leaving an island of greenspace between the inbound and outbound carriageways.<ref name="storrowing" /> Overpasses to Fenway via Charlesgate and in the vicinity of Massachusetts General Hospital were completed a few years later; the Arthur Fiedler Footbridge was completed in 1953.<ref name="storrowing" /> In 1960, high-pressure air from a sewage tunnel under construction caused a geyser-like eruption and damaged the roadway near the BU bridge.<ref name="storrowing" /> The pedestrian overpass near the Longfellow Bridge was constructed in 1962.<ref name="storrowing" /> A "Reverse Curve" sign near downtown was vandalized to say "Reverse the Curse", a reference to the [[Curse of the Bambino]]; the sign was removed after the [[Red Sox]] won the [[2004 World Series]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}


==Future==
==Future==
{{Update|section|date=April 2023}}
The Storrow Drive Tunnel, through which Storrow Drive runs along the [[Charles River Reservation|Esplanade]] just north of Clarendon, Berkeley and Arlington Streets, has been deteriorating since it was built in 1951. By mid-2007, the [[Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation|Department of Conservation and Recreation]] determined that repairing the tunnel may be impossible because it was not waterproofed when it was built, and damage in the intervening years has been significant. Consequently the tunnel may have to be rebuilt at a cost upward of $200 million, a project that would require closing critical sections of Storrow Drive to traffic.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/07/24/storrow_tunnel_may_need_replacing/ |title=Storrow Tunnel may need replacing |work=[[The Boston Globe]]
The Storrow Drive Tunnel, through which Storrow Drive runs along the [[Charles River Reservation|Esplanade]] just north of Clarendon, Berkeley and Arlington Streets, has been deteriorating since it was built in 1951. By mid-2007, the [[Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation|Department of Conservation and Recreation]] determined that repairing the tunnel may be impossible because it was not waterproofed when it was built, and damage in the intervening years has been significant. Consequently the tunnel may have to be rebuilt at a cost upward of $200 million, a project that would require closing critical sections of Storrow Drive to traffic.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/07/24/storrow_tunnel_may_need_replacing/ |title=Storrow Tunnel may need replacing |work=[[The Boston Globe]]
|date=2007-07-24
|date=July 24, 2007
|accessdate=2008-05-05}}</ref>
|access-date=May 5, 2008}}</ref>


Despite the chaos this project would cause to drivers, it also could present an opportunity for the city to improve the area. For example, former [[Thomas Menino|Boston Mayor Thomas Menino]] proposed covering Storrow Drive near the pedestrian [[Arthur Fiedler]] Bridge, replacing the old [[overpass]] with a wide, ground-level park space that would better connect the green space of [[Boston Public Garden|Boston's Public Garden]] with the Esplanade.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2008/03/19/new_vision_over_storrow_drive/ |title=New vision over Storrow Drive |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=2008-03-19 |accessdate=2008-05-05}}</ref>
Despite the chaos this project would cause to drivers, it also could present an opportunity for the city to improve the area.{{Editorializing|date=April 2023}} For example, former [[Thomas Menino|Boston Mayor Thomas Menino]] proposed covering Storrow Drive near the pedestrian [[Arthur Fiedler]] Bridge, replacing the old [[overpass]] with a wide, ground-level park space that would better connect the green space of [[Boston Public Garden|Boston's Public Garden]] with the Esplanade.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2008/03/19/new_vision_over_storrow_drive/ |title=New vision over Storrow Drive |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=March 19, 2008 |access-date=May 5, 2008}}</ref>


Other plans for the road propose closing it to traffic on Sunday mornings in the summer, much as is done across the river on [[Memorial Drive (Cambridge)|Memorial Drive]] in Cambridge. This would create a recreational area for walking, biking and roller blading on weekends, though this has been criticized as unnecessary due to the presence of the nearby Esplanade paths and the existing Memorial Drive road closure. Regardless, Storrow Drive east of [[Massachusetts Avenue (Boston)|Massachusetts Avenue]] is usually closed to traffic and open to pedestrians and cyclists during the [[Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day]] (July 4) celebration at the Esplanade.
Other plans for the road propose closing it to traffic on Sunday mornings in the summer, much as is done across the river on [[Memorial Drive (Cambridge)|Memorial Drive]] in Cambridge. This would create a recreational area for walking, biking and roller blading on weekends, though this has been criticized as unnecessary due to the presence of the nearby Esplanade paths and the existing Memorial Drive road closure. Regardless, Storrow Drive east of [[Massachusetts Avenue (Boston)|Massachusetts Avenue]] is usually closed to traffic and open to pedestrians and cyclists during the [[Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day]] (July 4) celebration at the Esplanade.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}


==Exit list==
==Exit list==
Mileposts are continued from [[Soldiers Field Road]]. The entire route is in [[Boston]], [[Suffolk County, Massachusetts|Suffolk County]]. {{jcttop|state=MA|county=Suffolk|hatnote=off|length_ref=<ref name="soldiers field">{{Google maps |url=https://goo.gl/maps/vhKxu |title=Soldiers Field Road |accessdate=November 23, 2014}}</ref><ref name="storrow mugar">{{google maps |url=https://goo.gl/maps/tOzVk |title=Storrow Drive and David G. Mugar Way |accessdate=November 23, 2014}}</ref>|unnum=yes}}
Mileposts continue east from [[Soldiers Field Road]]. The entire route is in [[Boston]], [[Suffolk County, Massachusetts|Suffolk County]]. {{jcttop|state=MA|county=Suffolk|hatnote=off|length_ref=<ref name="soldiers field">{{Google maps |url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/42.3585489,-71.1596251/42.3513966,-71.106537/@42.3569323,-71.1385875,14z/data=!4m9!4m8!1m5!3m4!1m2!1d-71.1474922!2d42.3607028!3s0x89e3782c536c46f5:0x9e90d0fadc9818a1!1m0!3e0 |title=Soldiers Field Road |access-date=November 23, 2014}}</ref><ref name="storrow mugar">{{google maps |url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/42.3513966,-71.106537/42.3655551,-71.0690242/@42.3620343,-71.0840089,14z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m10!3m4!1m2!1d-71.091729!2d42.3511864!3s0x89e37a03839f8439:0x52f636d3c410d52e!3m4!1m2!1d-71.0760696!2d42.3552844!3s0x89e37a0a80ae94bd:0xe2fa5124a22006c2!1m0!3e0 |title=Storrow Drive and David G. Mugar Way |access-date=November 23, 2014}}</ref>|unnum=yes}}
{{Jctint
{{Jctint
|location_special=[[Fenway–Kenmore]]
|location_special=[[Fenway–Kenmore]]
|lspan=2
|lspan=2
|mile=4.1
|mile=4.1
|mspan=2
|road=[[Soldiers Field Road]] west – [[Newton, Massachusetts|Newton]], [[Watertown, Massachusetts|Watertown]]
|road=[[Soldiers Field Road]] west – [[Newton, Massachusetts|Newton]], [[Watertown, Massachusetts|Watertown]]
|notes=Continuation beyond University Road}}
|notes=Continuation beyond University Road}}
{{Jctint
{{Jctint
|mile=4.1
|mile=none
|type=incomplete
|type=incomplete
|road=University Road&nbsp;– [[Brookline, Massachusetts|Brookline]]
|road=University Road&nbsp;– [[Brookline, Massachusetts|Brookline]]
|notes=Eastbound exit and entrance; serves [[Boston University|BU]]<br> To [[U.S. Route 20 in Massachusetts|US 20]]}}
|notes=Eastbound exit and entrance; serves [[Boston University]]; to [[U.S. Route 20 in Massachusetts|US 20]]}}
{{Jctint
{{Jctint
|location_special=[[Back Bay]]
|location_special=[[Back Bay]]
Line 91: Line 106:
|type=trans
|type=trans
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|28|dir1=south|location1=[[Copley Square]]|location2=[[Back Bay]]}}
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|28|dir1=south|location1=[[Copley Square]]|location2=[[Back Bay]]}}
|notes=Storrow Drive becomes David G. Mugar Way<br>Western terminus of concurrency with Route 28}}
|notes=Route 28 continues south; Storrow Drive becomes David G. Mugar Way
}}
{{Jctint
{{Jctint
|mile=5.8<!--4.1+1.7-->
|mile=5.8<!--4.1+1.7-->
|type=incomplete
|type=incomplete
|road=[[Downtown Boston]]
|road=[[Downtown Boston]]
|notes=Eastbound exit only}}
|notes=Eastbound exit only
}}
{{Jctint
{{Jctint
|location_special=[[Beacon Hill, Boston|Beacon Hill]]
|location_special=[[Beacon Hill, Boston|Beacon Hill]]
|mile=6.2<!--4.1+2.1-->
|mile=6.2<!--4.1+2.1-->
|type=concur
|type=trans
|road=[[Government Center, Boston|Government Center]]
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|3|dir1=north|location1=[[Government Center, Boston|Government Center]]|location2=[[Kendall Square]]|city3=Cambridge}}
|notes=Route 3 continues north
|notes=Western terminus of concurrency with [[Massachusetts Route 3|Route 3]]}}
}}
{{Jctint
{{Jctint
|location_special=[[West End, Boston|West End]]
|location_special=[[West End, Boston|West End]]
|lspan=2
|lspan=3
|mile=6.5<!--4.1+2.4-->
|mile=6.5<!--4.1+2.4-->
|type=incomplete
|type=incomplete
|road={{jct|state=MA|I|93|US|1|dir1=north|dir2=north|location1=[[Tobin Bridge]]|location2=[[Concord, NH]]}}
|road={{jct|state=MA|I|93|US|1|dir1=north|dir2=north|location1=[[Tobin Bridge]]|location2=[[Concord, NH]]}}
|notes=Eastbound exit only (via tunnel)}}
|notes=Eastbound exit only (via tunnel)
}}
{{Jctint
{{Jctint
|mile=6.6<!--4.1+2.5-->
|mile=6.6
|mspan=2<!--4.1+2.5-->
|type=concur
|type=trans
|road={{jct|state=MA|I|93|US|1|MA|3|location1=[[Tobin Bridge]]|location2=[[Concord, NH]]|city3=Quincy|location4=[[Logan Airport]]|extra=airport}}<br>{{jct|state=MA|MA|28|dir1=north|name1=O'Brien Highway|city1=Cambridge|city2=Stoneham}}<br>Martha Road&nbsp;– [[North Station]]
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|28|dir1=north|name1=O'Brien Highway|road|Martha Road|city1=Cambridge|city2=Stoneham|location3=[[North Station]]}}
|notes=Route 28 continues north via Charles River Dam Road
|notes=Eastern terminus at [[Leverett Circle]]<br>Eastern terminus of concurrency with Routes 3 and 28}}
}}
⚫
{{jctbtm|keys=incomplete,trans,concur}}
{{Jctint

|mile=none
⚫
==Pedestrian crossings==
|type=trans
⚫
Because Storrow Drive is a high-speed [[limited-access road]], pedestrian access is prevented by a series of perimeter fences. To connect the [[Charles River Esplanade]] (a popular park and recreational area along the south bank of the river) to adjacent Boston neighborhoods, a number of [[pedestrian overpass]]es have been constructed. Listed in order from downstream to upstream, they are:<ref name=Cherubino>{{cite web|last1=Cherubino|first1=Penny|last2=Cherubino|first2=Ed|title=How to Get to the Esplanade from Boston|url=http://www.bostonzest.com/2010/06/how-to-get-to-the-esplanade-from-boston.html|website=Boston Zest|accessdate=2015-08-20|date=June 29, 2010}}</ref><ref name=Access>{{cite web|title=Getting to the Park|url=http://www.esplanadeassociation.org/about-the-park/getting-there/|website=The Esplanade Association|accessdate=2015-08-20|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924002214/http://www.esplanadeassociation.org/about-the-park/getting-there/|archivedate=2015-09-24|df=}}</ref>
|road={{jct|state=MA|I|93|US|1|MA|3|dir3=south|location1=[[Tobin Bridge]]|location2=[[Concord, NH]]|city3=Quincy|location4=[[Logan Airport]]|extra=airport}}
⚫
*Blossom Street bridge (near [[Massachusetts General Hospital]])
|notes=[[Leverett Circle]]; Route 3 continues south; northbound exit via [[Leverett Connector]]; Exit 18 on I-93 / US 1
⚫
*[[Frances Appleton Bridge]] (at Cambridge Street, next to [[Longfellow Bridge]])
}}
⚫
*[[Arthur Fiedler]] Bridge (connecting to the [[Hatch Memorial Shell]] near Arlington Street)
⚫
{{jctbtm|keys=incomplete,trans}}
⚫
*Dartmouth Street bridge
⚫
*Fairfield Street bridge
⚫
*[[Harvard Bridge]] (at [[Massachusetts Avenue (metropolitan Boston)|Massachusetts Avenue]])
⚫
*[[John Silber|Silber Way]] bridge
⚫
*Boston University [[Marsh Chapel]] bridge
⚫
*[[Boston University Bridge]]


==See also==
==See also==
⚫
* [[Memorial Drive (Cambridge)|Memorial Drive]], on the opposite side of the river in Cambridge
* [[Charles River Bike Path]]
* [[Charles River Bike Path]]
*[[Charles River Reservation]]
* [[Charles River Reservation]]
* [[List of crossings of the Charles River]]
* [[List of crossings of the Charles River]]
⚫
* [[Memorial Drive (Cambridge)|Memorial Drive]], on the opposite side of the river in Cambridge


==References==
==References==
Line 139: Line 154:


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/storrow/ Storrow Drive on Steve Anderson's BostonRoads.com]
* [http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/storrow/ Storrow Drive] on Steve Anderson's BostonRoads.com
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MriF1morfU Recorded Youtube Video, Storrow Drive: Boston, MA Freewayjim, 2012-09-21]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MriF1morfU Storrow Drive: Boston, MA]—YouTube video, Freewayjim, 2012-09-21


{{start srbox}}
{{ma browse|previous_type=Route|previous_route=9|route=[[File:MA Route C9.svg|20px]]|next_type=Route|next_route=10}}
{{S-end}}
{{Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston}}
{{Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston}}
{{Streets and squares in Boston}}
{{Streets and squares in Boston}}


⚫
{{coord|42|21|08|N|71|05|19|W|region:US-MA_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki|display=title}}

⚫
[[Category:Streets in Boston]]
[[Category:Parkways in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Parkways in Massachusetts]]
⚫
[[Category:Streets in Boston]]
[[Category:U.S. Route 1]]
[[Category:U.S. Route 1]]

Latest revision as of 01:20, 11 December 2024

Storrow Drive
James Jackson Storrow Drive
David G. Mugar Way
Maintained byMassachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
Length1.98 mi (3.19 km)
Coordinates42°21′08″N 71°05′19″W / 42.35222°N 71.08861°W / 42.35222; -71.08861
West endSoldiers Field Road in Fenway–Kenmore
Major
junctions		 Route 2A in Back Bay
Route 28 in Back Bay
East end I-93 / US 1 / Route 3 / Route 28 in West End
Construction
Inauguration1951[1]
Storrow Drive, Leverett Circle Tunnel

Storrow Drive, officially James Jackson Storrow Memorial Drive, is a major crosstown parkway in Boston, Massachusetts, running east–west along the southern bank of the Charles River.[2] It is restricted to cars; trucks and buses are not permitted on it, while pedestrian access is available via walking paths on the Charles River side of the road. Boston drivers use the route for quick access to downtown locations.[2]

The parkway is named for James J. Storrow, an investment banker who led a campaign to create the Charles River Basin and preserve and improve the riverbanks as a public park. He had never advocated a parkway beside the river, and Helen Storrow, his widow, publicly opposed it.[3]

Route description

[edit]

The segment between the interchange with Route 28 near Copley Square and Leverett Circle, the road is officially David G. Mugar Way (formerly Embankment Road), although still signed as Storrow Drive. The entirety of this segment is concurrent with Route 28. To the west, Storrow Drive ends and becomes Soldiers Field Road at its partial junction with the Boston University Bridge (Route 2). In between, westbound Storrow Drive has a junction with the Harvard Bridge (Route 2A, Massachusetts Avenue).

Both Storrow Drive and Soldiers Field Road are maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and are part of the parkway system interconnecting the Emerald Necklace in Boston and Brookline. Together with Memorial Drive and the Cambridge Parkway, Storrow Drive is also part of the Charles River Basin Historic District (listed in the National Register of Historic Places). Prior to 1989, Storrow Drive also carried the U.S. Route 1 designation; US 1 is now routed concurrently with Interstate 93 through the O'Neill Tunnel.

Traffic issues

[edit]
Storrow Drive mid-afternoon

The road is notorious for speeding and aggressive driving because police enforcement along the road is difficult without a breakdown lane. Radio traffic reports have warned motorists about "ponding" on Storrow Drive, which occurs when snow and frozen ground prevent water from draining properly into storm drains.[4][5] The underpasses also commonly flood during heavy rains, sometimes stalling low-riding cars.[6] Additional problems include narrow lanes and very limited visibility on short entrance ramps.

Concert parking

[edit]

During some summer night concerts at the Hatch Shell, many drivers park their cars in the outbound lanes of Storrow Drive. The free concerts and fireworks displays attract 200,000 people, and many take advantage of the free parking.[2]

Low clearance

[edit]

There is an abundance of signs giving road clearance height.[7] Despite the signs, a truck or other large vehicle will periodically get wedged under a bridge, which causes traffic to back up for several miles. In one incident a truck full of scissors became stuck and spilled its cargo, causing more than 30 cars to get flat tires.[2] There is a 10 foot (3.0 m) height limit for the entire parkway.[8] Local media has taken to referring to these kinds of accidents as a truck being "Storrowed",[9] and the city of Boston has annual advisories in August to those renting box trucks for college move-ins to avoid the city's low-clearance parkway system, including Storrow Drive.[10] Traditionally, locals have often blamed the "Storrowing" incidents on college students,[11] but many accidents have involved professional truck drivers using phone GPS units meant for passenger cars.[12] Many companies local to Boston train their drivers on how to avoid "Storrowing",[13] but truck drivers from other areas may not know about the low clearances.[14]

Pedestrian crossings

[edit]

Because Storrow Drive is a high-speed road way, pedestrian access is limited to only the Charles River side of the road. To connect the Charles River Esplanade and Storrow Drive (a popular park and recreational area along the south bank of the river) to adjacent Boston neighborhoods, a number of pedestrian overpasses have been constructed. Listed in order from downstream to upstream, they are:[15][16]

History

[edit]

Between 1958 and 1971, Storrow Drive was designated Massachusetts Routes C1 and C9.[17]

Early opposition

[edit]

James Storrow had been instrumental in earlier projects along the Charles River, in particular the Charles River Dam. Additions to the Charles River Esplanade had been made during the 1930s only by omitting an important part of the project, a proposed highway from the Longfellow Bridge to the Cottage Farm (Boston University) Bridge, which had provoked tremendous protest.[18] After Helen Storrow, the wife of the now deceased James Storrow, supported a group opposed to the highway, it was dropped;[18] part of the funding was to have come from a million-dollar gift from her.[19] Soon after Helen Storrow's death in 1944, a new proposal for the construction of the highway was pushed through the Massachusetts Legislature. In spite of still strong opposition, and through some dubious parliamentary procedures, the bill approving construction of the highway and naming it after James Storrow was passed in 1949.[20]

Construction

[edit]

Construction took place in the years 1950–1951. As part of the attempt to preserve park land, any land used by the highway had to be replaced by reclaiming new land along the shoreline.[21] Storrow Drive was officially opened in a ribbon cutting ceremony by Governor Paul A. Dever on June 15, 1951.[1]

An on-ramp leading from southbound Massachusetts Avenue to eastbound Storrow Drive was constructed but later removed, leaving an island of greenspace between the inbound and outbound carriageways.[6] Overpasses to Fenway via Charlesgate and in the vicinity of Massachusetts General Hospital were completed a few years later; the Arthur Fiedler Footbridge was completed in 1953.[6] In 1960, high-pressure air from a sewage tunnel under construction caused a geyser-like eruption and damaged the roadway near the BU bridge.[6] The pedestrian overpass near the Longfellow Bridge was constructed in 1962.[6] A "Reverse Curve" sign near downtown was vandalized to say "Reverse the Curse", a reference to the Curse of the Bambino; the sign was removed after the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series.[citation needed]

Future

[edit]

The Storrow Drive Tunnel, through which Storrow Drive runs along the Esplanade just north of Clarendon, Berkeley and Arlington Streets, has been deteriorating since it was built in 1951. By mid-2007, the Department of Conservation and Recreation determined that repairing the tunnel may be impossible because it was not waterproofed when it was built, and damage in the intervening years has been significant. Consequently the tunnel may have to be rebuilt at a cost upward of $200 million, a project that would require closing critical sections of Storrow Drive to traffic.[22]

Despite the chaos this project would cause to drivers, it also could present an opportunity for the city to improve the area.[editorializing] For example, former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino proposed covering Storrow Drive near the pedestrian Arthur Fiedler Bridge, replacing the old overpass with a wide, ground-level park space that would better connect the green space of Boston's Public Garden with the Esplanade.[23]

Other plans for the road propose closing it to traffic on Sunday mornings in the summer, much as is done across the river on Memorial Drive in Cambridge. This would create a recreational area for walking, biking and roller blading on weekends, though this has been criticized as unnecessary due to the presence of the nearby Esplanade paths and the existing Memorial Drive road closure. Regardless, Storrow Drive east of Massachusetts Avenue is usually closed to traffic and open to pedestrians and cyclists during the Independence Day (July 4) celebration at the Esplanade.[citation needed]

Exit list

[edit]

Mileposts continue east from Soldiers Field Road. The entire route is in Boston, Suffolk County. All exits are unnumbered.

Locationmi[24][25]kmDestinationsNotes
Fenway–Kenmore4.16.6Soldiers Field Road west – Newton, WatertownContinuation beyond University Road
University Road – BrooklineEastbound exit and entrance; serves Boston University; to US 20
Back Bay4.97.9Kenmore Square, FenwayAccess via Charlesgate; former alignment of US 1
5.08.0
 Route 2A west – Cambridge, Arlington		Westbound exit only
5.69.0
 Route 28 south – Copley Square, Back Bay		Route 28 continues south; Storrow Drive becomes David G. Mugar Way
5.89.3Downtown BostonEastbound exit only
Beacon Hill6.210.0
 Route 3 north – Government Center, Kendall Square, Cambridge		Route 3 continues north
West End6.510.5

 I-93 north / US 1 north – Tobin Bridge, Concord, NH		Eastbound exit only (via tunnel)
6.610.6
 Route 28 north (O'Brien Highway) / Martha Road – Cambridge, Stoneham, North Station		Route 28 continues north via Charles River Dam Road

 I-93 / US 1 / Route 3 south – Tobin Bridge, Concord, NH, Quincy, Logan Airport		Leverett Circle; Route 3 continues south; northbound exit via Leverett Connector; Exit 18 on I-93 / US 1
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Massachusetts Road Opened". The New York Times. June 16, 1951. Sports section, Page 13. Retrieved February 22, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d Gershkoff, Ira; Trachtman, Richard (2004). The Boston Driver's Handbook: Wild in the Streets: The Almost Post Big Dig Edition (3rd ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. pp. 27–29. ISBN 0-306-81326-2. OCLC 53970660.
  3. ^ Berg, Shary Page (June 23, 2009). Charles River Esplanade Study Report (PDF). Boston Landmarks Commission. p. 33. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  4. ^ Quinn, Garrett (December 19, 2013). "Right lane reopened in flooded Storrow Drive eastbound tunnel in Boston". MassLive. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  5. ^ Epstein, David (March 28, 2014). "Weekend nor'easter brings rain and some wind". Boston.com. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Has Boston outsmarted Storrowing?".
  7. ^ Kaplan, Aline (August 21, 2018). "When Back to School = Getting Storrowed". The Next Phase Blog. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  8. ^ Cambridge, MA policy order resolution, February 11, 2013.
  9. ^ Universal Hub
  10. ^ Annear, Steve (August 21, 2019). "You cannot drive a moving truck on Storrow Drive. You cannot drive a moving truck on Storrow Drive. You cannot drive a moving truck on Storrow Drive". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  11. ^ "Don't get 'Storrowed,' officials advise college students flocking to city". The Boston Globe.
  12. ^ Vaccaro, Adam. "Can We Blame the GPS for Storrow Truck Accidents?". www.boston.com.
  13. ^ Movers, Safe Responsible (October 28, 2022). "How to avoid "Storrowing" - How the best Boston Movers do it".
  14. ^ Sokolow, Amy (September 4, 2021). "34 trucks stuck on Storrow Drive last month".
  15. ^ Cherubino, Penny; Cherubino, Ed (June 29, 2010). "How to Get to the Esplanade from Boston". Boston Zest. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  16. ^ "Getting to the Park". The Esplanade Association. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  17. ^ "1938 Map of Boston". WCVB / MassDOT. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  18. ^ a b Seasholes, Nancy S. (2003). Gaining Ground: A History of Landmaking in Boston. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. p. 206. ISBN 0-262-19494-5. OCLC 470179960.
  19. ^ "Fight begins on $4,855,000 Basin Project", Boston Evening Transcript, March 6, 1929.
  20. ^ "Embankment Road approved by House in stormy session", The Boston Globe, April 29, 1949.
  21. ^ Massachusetts General Court Acts of 1949, Chap. 262
  22. ^ "Storrow Tunnel may need replacing". The Boston Globe. July 24, 2007. Retrieved May 5, 2008.
  23. ^ "New vision over Storrow Drive". The Boston Globe. March 19, 2008. Retrieved May 5, 2008.
  24. ^ "Soldiers Field Road" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  25. ^ "Storrow Drive and David G. Mugar Way" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
[edit]
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