The bridge is called the Harvard Bridge because it was built in 1891, when MIT was still located in Boston. The bridge connects Boston to Cambridge, and it is the shortest route between the two cities. When MIT moved to Cambridge in 1916, the bridge was already well-established as the Harvard Bridge, and the name stuck.
There have been proposals to rename the bridge for MIT, but they have never been successful. Many people in Cambridge still refer to the bridge as the Harvard Bridge, and it is also known locally as the Mass. Ave. Bridge or the "Mass. Ave." Bridge.
