MassDOT: Pike bridge work to soon intensify
Construction to replace the Commonwealth Avenue bridge over the Massachusetts Turnpike is about to get real for drivers and public transportation riders.
The state Department of Transportation is gearing up for an intensive 18 1⁄2- day schedule focused on the eastbound portion of the bridge. The work is expected to have significant impacts on vehicle traffic on the Mass Pike, Commonwealth Avenue and surrounding roads; the MBTA’s Green Line B trains, CT2 and 47 bus routes, and Worcester Line commuter rail; and Amtrak’s Lake Shore Ltd. line.
The Pike, reduced to three lanes in each direction on July 7, will be further reduced to two lanes each way from 9 p.m. on July 28 to 5 a.m. on Aug. 7. Crews will use zipper barriers and other measures to channel vehicles to one side of the roadway. Weekends are expected to be especially troublesome.
Acting Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver advises drivers to use the Waze traffic and navigation mobile app for up-todate conditions. “This is an extremely disruptive project,” he said. “If you have an opportunity to travel in a different way… we’re urging you to do that. It will be congested.”
Meanwhile, MassDOT, as part of its ongoing relationship with Waze, is installing navigational beacons in the Ted Williams, Callahan and O’Neill tunnels to improve GPS signal reception. The installation of 850 beacons this month will ensure drivers don’t miss in-tunnel exits, improving routing and safety, Gulliver said.
“The best thing for us is it was provided for free,” he said, noting the beacons cost an estimated $23,000.