Charles Bridges Changing Colors

Bridges in decorator colors -- that's the new look planned for the Charles River.

A project to paint bridges across the Charles in rainbow hues was disclosed last week by Benjamin W. Fink, director of park engineering for the Metropolitan District Commission.

Over the River

"We're going to have beauty over the river as well as in the parks," Fink said. "I consider color very nice -- it's an engineering trend growing everywhere."

The Commission recently painted the Charlesgate Bridge at Kenmore Square brick red to match surrounding buildings. Boston University is now academic green, and Longfellow Bridge has been done over in turquoise.

Crimson?

Fink's latest experiment is steel-gray Harvard Bridge, which is now receiving a preliminary coat of red-orange. "I'd like to paint it crimson," he said, "but M.I.T. might consider that adding insult to injury. They have never liked the idea of a bridge named after Harvard running right past their doorstep."

If crimson is rejected as too controversial, Fink suggests a Harvard contest to pick a new color. How about fuchsia?