The city asked. 133 people answered.

That’s how many submitted ideas so far to a design competition run by the Boston Redevelopment Authority and Boston Society of Architects to replace the Northern Ave. bridge. Some were high-gloss renderings; others came in essay form. One looked as if it was drawn in colored pencil or crayons.

A jury will name winners at the end of May. And the city said the submissions will help in the real design of the new bridge, expected to begin later this year.

We picked a few of the more visual submissions. To see them all, and follow the competition, visit www.northernavebridge.org.

Tim Logan can be reached at tim.logan@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @bytimlogan.