All 8 Pike lanes open 3 weeks early
The Massachusetts Turnpike will reopen to its full eight-lane configuration this morning, almost three weeks ahead of schedule, officials announced yesterday in a piece of welcome news for commuters who were dreading weeks of delays thanks to repair work on the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge this month.
The state transportation department announced crews repairing the bridge will be able to remove a large crane from Pike earlier than expected, allowing all eight lanes to open at 5 a.m. today.
In a press release, state transportation secretary Stephanie Pollack attributed the progress to the “hard work of our crews and contractors.”
“Our team has designed this major construction project in a way that considers the needs of the traveling public, as well as residents of the Greater Boston area, and we are pleased with the progress of work so far,” Pollack said.
Acting state Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said engineering and construction staff worked with a contractor to modify the sequence of key work to be able to remove a 440-ton crane on the turnpike “more efficiently than originally planned.”
“This change will lead to the return of I-90 to full capacity, which is four lanes in each direction, almost three weeks earlier than previously scheduled,” Gulliver said.
“This is an important but interim milestone and while we are pleased with the progress of construction so far, we still have much work to do to complete our operations this summer.”
Travel delays along Commonwealth Avenue, local roads and the Green Line’s B-Branch and bus routes are expected to continue through Aug. 14.