A bridge in the heart of Boston is being renamed for Boston Celtics legend and civil rights pioneer Bill Russell, the city announced Friday.
The North Washington Street Bridge connecting Charlestown with the city’s West and North ends — about a block from TD Garden — has been under reconstruction, with work scheduled to be completed this spring. The bridge’s new name will be the William Felton “Bill” Russell Bridge.
“The bridge renaming will honor his dedication to civil rights and the fostering of Boston’s youth and young athletes,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s office said Friday.
Once in the NBA, Russell won 11 NBA titles and five MVPs. After, he became the first black coach for a major US sport.
Russell’s widow Jeannine Russell, current and former Celtics players and team leadership were expected to join Wu and other officials at an announcement Monday. The Celtics kick off their title-defense Tuesday.
Russell, who won 11 championships in 13 seasons, broke the color barrier in major U.S. sports as its first Black head coach and marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., died Aug. 1, 2022, at 88 years of age.
The bridge that will be named for Russell spans the same body of water as another crossing named for a Boston sports legend, the Ted Williams Tunnel, which was part of the infamous Big Dig.
When the William Felton “Bill” Russell Bridge is officially completed, it will have the city’s first dedicated bus lane on a bridge as well as “hearty local landscaping,” according to the city, which refers to that feature as a “first on a New England bridge.” The well-known Freedom Trail runs over the structure.