I-93 at Sullivan Square

Slipping through time, imagine 1803. The newly finished Middlesex Canal flows right through what we now know as Sullivan Square. I-93 roars overhead today. Back then, barges laden with goods glided through the waterway. Sullivan Square, named after Massachusetts Governor James Sullivan, a key figure in the canal’s creation, wasn’t a square at all. It was a vital junction in this watery highway. The canal connected Medford to the Charlestown Neck, a narrow isthmus linking Charlestown to the mainland. Roads to Everett, Medford, Cambridge, and Somerville fanned out from this point. I-93 at Sullivan Square stands as a testament to how transportation has evolved. Think about the horse-drawn carriages that once traversed the area. They were replaced by electric streetcars around 1890. Then came the elevated railway in 1901, a grand terminus right over Sullivan Square. But even that wasn’t the end of the story for I-93 at Sullivan Square. In the 1950s, a massive project transformed the area. The old road junction was swept away, replaced by a large traffic circle. Underpasses and overpasses were constructed, a complex dance of concrete and steel. Even the mighty elevated railway wasn’t immune to change. Deterioration and noise complaints led to its relocation in 1975. The Orange Line now runs alongside the railroad tracks. And I-93? It took its place overhead, a modern behemoth watching over the ghosts of transport past. I-93 at Sullivan Square is more than just a highway exit. It’s a layered chronicle of transportation history, a place where the past and present intertwine.