Cast-Iron Trim From Longfellow Bridge Stolen

BOSTON -- Hundreds of feet of decorative, cast-iron trim that was taken off the Longfellow Bridge during repairs to the structure was stolen from a labor yard.

Officials said that about 2,347 linear feet of trim that was being stored at the Stoneham Labor Yard was stolen sometime in the last three weeks. State officials planned to refurbish the trim and reattach it to the bridge.

"We at DCR are shocked and outraged by the disappearance of this historic metalwork, a unique feature of the Longfellow Bridge that we planned to restore along with the bridge," DCR Commissioner Richard K. Sullivan Jr. said. "We take this extremely seriously. An investigation is under way by the Middlesex County District Attorney’s office as a potential criminal matter. I urge anyone with information on this incident to come forward."

Officials are also reviewing other state labor yards to make sure that property in DCR's possession is secure.

Last year between Sept. 20 and Oct. 9, approximately 3,467 linear feet of the decorative parapet coping was removed from the outside edge of the bridge while repairs were under way.

Individual sections were removed from the bridge with a crane, loaded onto 10-wheel dump trucks and flatbed trucks, and transported to the state's Stoneham Labor Yard. Each section is 7 feet long, 2 feet wide, 3.8 inches thick, and weighs 350 pounds.

The sections were stacked neatly in piles of 13 or 14 sections each in a fenced-in corner of the yard. DCR staff members observed and documented the removal, transport, and storage operations.