Leverett Circle Connector Bridge

{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}

{{Infobox bridge

| bridge_name = Leverett Circle Connector

| image = Leverett Circle Connector.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Leverett Circle Connection, {{circa|2005}}

| official_name =

| carries = highway access ramp

| crosses = Charles River

| locale = Boston, Massachusetts

| maint =

| id =

| designer =

| design = Box girder bridge

| material = Steel

| spans =

| pierswater =

| mainspan =

| length = {{convert|1.7|mi|km}}

| width =

| height =

| load =

| clearance =

| below =

| traffic =

| begin =

| complete =

| open = {{start date|1999|10|7}}

| heritage =

| collapsed =

| preceded =

| followed =

| closed =

| toll =

| coordinates = {{coord|42.36909|-71.06459|type:landmark_scale:5000|display=title,inline}}

}}

The Leverett Circle Connector Bridge is a 1.7 mile-long highway bridge over the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts, carrying two lanes each of northbound and southbound traffic. It connects to Interstate 93 (I-93) at the northern end (exit 18, formerly 26 from I-93 south) and splits at the southern end, providing direct access to both Storrow Drive and Leverett Circle in Boston. Going northbound, there is also a fork which provides access to the City Square Tunnel under Charlestown to proceed on U.S. Route 1 (US 1) northbound via the Tobin Bridge.

The span was built in conjunction with the more dramatic Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge as part of the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, widely known as the Big Dig. During construction, the Leverett Circle Connector Bridge was sometimes called "Baby Bridge".{{Cite news |title = Masterpiece or monster |last = Howe |first = Peter J. |date = August 10, 1998 |work = Boston Globe |page = C3 }} The bridge opened for traffic on October 7, 1999,{{cite web |url = http://www.bostonroads.com/crossings/zakim/ |title = Leonard P Zakim-Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge (I-93 and US 1) |work = Boston Roads }}{{self-published inline|certain=yes|date=September 2022}} at a cost of $22.27 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|22270000|1999}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP}}).

Also known as the Storrow Drive Connector, it is the largest steel box girder bridge in the United States. It was the winner of a July 2001 National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA) "prize bridge" award.{{cite magazine |url = http://www.aisc.org/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm?ContentID=1003 |title = National Steel Bridge Alliance 2001 Prize Bridge Award Winner: Medium Long Span Storrow Drive Connector Bridge |magazine = Modern Steel Construction |date = October 2001 |access-date = January 15, 2022 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030506212922/http://www.aisc.org/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm?ContentID=1003 |archive-date = May 6, 2003 |url-status = dead }} Its weaving design{{explain|date=June 2016}} was determined by the other major structures involved in the Big Dig but unlike other parts of the project, it was finished eight days ahead of schedule.{{cite web |url = http://www.massturnpike.com/bigdig/background/crb.html |title = MTA - the Charles River Bridges |access-date = December 5, 2008 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081121114006/http://www.massturnpike.com/bigdig/background/crb.html |archive-date = November 21, 2008 }}