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.
"Bill Russell showed us on and off the court that, to deliver a brighter future, you have to reckon with the past. He knew he had a platform, and he used it to push for a better world," Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said.
Russell's widow Jeannine Russell, current and former Celtics players and team leadership joined Wu and other officials at the announcement Monday. The Celtics kick off their title-defense Tuesday.
"We're here to talk about the legacy of the great Bill Russell," Celtics star Jaylen Brown said Monday. "Not only just what he's done on the basketball floor and how many championships he won, but how many championships he won off the basketball floor."
"He inspired millions, and continues to inspire us today," said Gov. Maura Healey.
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.
Jeannine Russell was moved to tears by the ceremony and the announcement.
"Bill never chased acknowledgment," she said.
The bridge being 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.
"What I like about it is that every day, people are going to be walking, driving, biking, going over this bridge. Maybe to work, maybe to a game at the TD Garden," Healey said. "And they're going to take in and know that there was this man, this great, great man, Bill Russell — a bridge builder and an inspiring, inspiring figure."
