Canton Viaduct

Canton Viaduct
Canton Viaduct
	A west side view of the Canton Viaduct looking south with the former Paul Revere Copper Rolling Mill in the background, April 1977
Coordinates	42°09′32″N 71°09′14″W / 42.15889°N 71.15389°W
Carries	2 tracks (standard gauge) presently serving: Amtrak's Northeast Corridor (intercity passenger); MBTA's Providence/Stoughton Line (commuter); CSX's Boston Subdivision (freight);
Crosses	Canton River (at Mill Pond); Canton River Valley; Neponset Street;
Locale	Canton, Massachusetts
Other name(s)	Great Stone Bridge, Viaduct at Canton
Owner	Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)
Maintained by	Amtrak
Heritage status	National Register of Historic Places (1984); National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark (1998);
Characteristics
Design	Blind arcade cavity wall
Material	Walls - Granite; Deck - Reinforced concrete;
Total length	615'
Width	26'-28' (foundations), 22'-24' walls
Height	60' above river level, 70' maximum height
Longest span	2 at 28' (granite/concrete deck arches over the granite roadway portal)
No. of spans	71 total
Piers in water	7 (15 on land)
Clearance above	Approximately 21'
History
Designer	William Gibbs McNeill, Chief Engineer for the Boston & Providence Railroad (B&P)
Construction start	April 20, 1834
Opened	July 28, 1835
Statistics
Daily traffic	106 trains per day
	Canton Viaduct
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	Neponset and Walpole Sts., Canton, Massachusetts
Built	1834
Architect	McNeill, William Gibbs; Dodd & Baldwin
NRHP reference No.	84002870
Added to NRHP	September 20, 1984
Location

Canton Viaduct is a blind arcade cavity wall in Canton, Massachusetts, built in 1834–35 for the Boston and Providence Railroad.^[2]

At its completion, it was the longest (615 ft [187 m]) and tallest (70 ft [21 m]) railroad viaduct in the world; today, it is the last surviving viaduct of its kind. It has been in continuous service for 189 years; it now carries high-speed passenger and freight rail service. It supports a train deck about 65 feet (20 m) above the Canton River that passes through six semi-circular portals.

The Canton Viaduct was the final link built for the B&P's then 41-mile (66 km) mainline between Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island.^[3] Today, the viaduct serves Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, as well as Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Providence/Stoughton Line commuter trains. It is located 0.3 miles (0.48 km) south of Canton Junction, at milepost 213.74 (at the north end of the viaduct)^[4] reckoned from Pennsylvania Station in New York City.^[5]

^ "National Register Information System – (#84002870)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
^ Hall, Candace (July 22, 2010). "Canton Viaduct: 175 and still chugging along". Canton Journal.
^ Not the current distance, due to later route changes.
^ "The Northeast Corridor Transportation Plan—New York City to Boston—Report to Congress—Volume 2—Appendices B Through O" (PDF). Federal Railroad Administration. July 1994. p. C-11.
^ "Project Information Appendix—Northeast Corridor Capital Investment Plan—Fiscal Years 2023-2027" (PDF). Northeast Corridor Commission. October 2022. pp. C-10 & E-5.

[nris-1] "National Register Information System – (#84002870)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.

[2] Hall, Candace (July 22, 2010). "Canton Viaduct: 175 and still chugging along". Canton Journal.

[3] Not the current distance, due to later route changes.

[4] "The Northeast Corridor Transportation Plan—New York City to Boston—Report to Congress—Volume 2—Appendices B Through O" (PDF). Federal Railroad Administration. July 1994. p. C-11.

[5] "Project Information Appendix—Northeast Corridor Capital Investment Plan—Fiscal Years 2023-2027" (PDF). Northeast Corridor Commission. October 2022. pp. C-10 & E-5.

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