The flow is being rerouted to Deer Island via a 4.8 mile long tunnel under the harbor. Today, Harbor waters are brighter. Tumors have disappeared from bottom-dwelling flounders, while striped bass, porpoises and seals are feeding in the shadows of the Old North Church. Boston Harbor's northernmost main beach is in Winthrop, where the sand is fit for a Sierra Club calendar. No cigarette butts can be seen, no styrofoam cups.
Bright flags festoon the light poles and a recreational atmosphere pervades.
The bathhouse has already been upgraded and landscaped, new benches installed, and lifeguards are on duty during beach days. Improvements of Shore Drive's roadway and drainage will follow, as well as beach nourishment, handicapped access ramps, bike and pedestrian paths, improved lighting and drainage, and a nature trail through Short Beach's Belle Isle Marsh. All harbor beaches are being improved. The remainder will be used for improvements to Donovan's Beach. Just south of Winthrop, Constitution Beach in East Boston has had its Bennington Street overpass rebuilt.