Tobin Bridge

A constellation of transportation planners, elected officials and community groups embarked Wednesday on a campaign to think about a massive project coming into focus on the horizon: replacing the Tobin Bridge. Over the next 18 months, a state working group will examine options to succeed the 74-year-old bridge that connects Chelsea and Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood. Its scope is broad, and…

Lead paint chips are continuing to fall from the Tobin Bridge, which spans the Mystic River between Boston and Chelsea. But the yearslong project to fix it is so loud, the state is giving out white noise machines. The noise comes from dust collectors, part of a repainting job that began last year after residents complained of the hazardous paint…

Tobin Bridge construction is causing ear-splitting noise and health concerns from flaking lead paint, leading the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to give out white noise machines and air purifiers. Here’s how loud it gets.

Following the Baltimore bridge tragedy, Massachusetts officials explained some of the ways they study the state’s infrastructure plans well before they’re put in place. They also say state bridges are safe.

The state of Massachusetts has a little under 8,000 bridges, with the Tobin Bridge being the largest in New England. The Tobin is also a truss bridge like the one that collapsed in Baltimore, Maryland, and after the bridge tragedy, Gov. Maura Healey called agencies to reassess the state’s infrastructure safety. “Look, with any situation, let’s take a look....

Acting MassDOT Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutts spoke to state officials on Wednesday, and presented a plan to look into eventually replacing the aging piece of infrastructure.

Acting MassDOT Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutts spoke to state officials on Wednesday, and presented a plan to look into eventually replacing the aging piece of infrastructure.

It’s a staple for commuters and an iconic part of the Boston skyline. But plans are in the works to someday replace the Tobin Bridge. The Tobin Bridge takes Route 1 from Chelsea to Charlestown, and is now more than 70 years old. It carries about 87,000 trips on a typical weekday, and although it will be years before it…

The removal of the pain, plus repairs, will cost $125 million and will take about four years to complete. Goals of the project include removing old paint from sections of the bridge, completing repairs and repainting the steel. Officials said there would not be any permanent lane closures during the project.

Chips of lead paint flying off the Tobin Bridge have long been a concern for residents of Chelsea, and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation held a meeting on Wednesday night to share information about how it’s working to correct the issue. Officials said that the freezing and thawing over the years has made the issue worse — causing steel to…