MBTA Signs Labor Agreement for $1.2 Billion North Station Draw One Bridge Replacement

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has signed a project labor agreement for the $1.2 billion replacement of the Draw One Bridge, a key rail crossing over the Charles River between Boston and Cambridge.

The project will replace the existing movable bridge, built in 1931, with modern drawbridge spans. The new structure will expand the number of tracks crossing the river from four to six and increase capacity at North Station to 12 tracks.

Draw One serves as the primary rail gateway into North Station. The corridor carries more than 1,100 passenger trains each week on MBTA Commuter Rail lines and Amtrak’s Downeaster service. The route supports regional rail connections across Greater Boston and Northern New England.

The project has received $472.3 million in federal funding through the Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant Program’s MEGA program. The funding represents the largest federal infrastructure award received by MBTA.

MBTA plans to deliver the project using a design-build approach to shorten the construction timeline from eight years to about 6.5 years. The project remains in the procurement stage, and contractor selection is pending. Completion is targeted for 2032.

The signed project labor agreement establishes workforce standards and coordination between contractors and construction unions during project delivery.