All lanes of Pike opened in time for Monday morning commute

BOSTON — All four lanes in each direction of I-90 reopened early Monday morning, three weeks ahead of schedule.

MassDOT had announced that the Mass. Pike in Boston returned to its normal configuration of four lanes of traffic in each direction at 3:30 a.m. Monday morning, three weeks before it was expected to.

"It's a milestone we are particularly proud of," said John Gulliver, the acting highway administrator for MassDOT.

Lane reduction began on July 7 as a part of the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge Project.

MBTA Worcester/Framingham Commuter Rail and Amtrak also resumed normal service.

Gulliver said the contractor and crews made an adjustment to the work zone area regarding a large crane, which allowed them to stage more materials than anticipated. This led to much faster, efficient work.

"These kind of adjustments are done on a regularly basis with any project," he said.

Gulliver said the change was done on the fly after watching the traffic flows the first few days of the project.

While the Pike is back open, there's still a lot to do on the bridge.

"I want to temper expectations and be clear on this - this is an interim milestone," he said.

>>MORE: Comm Ave Bridge Project: What to know if you ride the B Line, bus

He said the rest of the project is on schedule. Impacted travel on Comm. Ave., local roadways and service on the Green Line B-branch and bus routes is expected to continue through Monday, August 14.

Gulliver noted this summer is just phase one of a two-phase project; MassDOT will be back out next summer to finish work on the bridge.

It is too early to estimate any cost savings, he said.

“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. We appreciate the continued support and patience of the traveling public and will continue to conduct our operations in ways that seek to minimize our impact on the local community and all those who travel throughout the Commonwealth Avenue/ Boston University region in Boston,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack.

>>MORE: Installation of new Comm. Ave. bridge deck begins

MassDOT says after Monday morning, there may still be periodic, off-peak lane reductions on the Pike for a short amount of time if needed during construction.

The full project impacts of the Commonwealth Bridge Project are as follows:

For Pedestrians and Bicyclists:

• Pedestrians and bicyclists are able to travel across a portion of the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge on the westbound side throughout construction this summer.
• Bicyclists heading in some directions will encounter occasional minor detour routes, such as, where they are able to cross Commonwealth Avenue.
• Some areas of Commonwealth Avenue near the construction zone have jersey barriers and fencing to protect the public from heavy construction equipment which is deployed and sometimes moving along the road.  As always, during the construction period, pedestrians and bicyclists will have full access across the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge on the westbound side.
• Due to safety and logistic reasons, the temporary mid-block crossing between Carlton Street and St. Mary's Street has been closed.  The western crosswalk at the Commonwealth Avenue/St. Mary's intersection has been re-opened, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to cross Commonwealth Avenue at St. Mary's Street under police detail control.
• Eastbound bicyclists heading to the BU Bridge will cross Commonwealth Avenue at St. Paul Street to a shared bike/bus travel lane in the westbound roadway.  Bicyclists continuing eastbound will cross back to eastbound Commonwealth Avenue at St. Mary's Street. 
• Westbound bicyclists will continue to use the existing westbound bicycle lanes.  There are no crossings between Amory Street and St. Mary's Street. 
• As before, there will be portions of the route near the work zone where cyclists will have to walk their bicycles.
• There are additional Hubway bike rental stations on Commonwealth Avenue during the shutdown (see below).

For Drivers:

• Commonwealth Avenue Users:
o Commonwealth Avenue (between Packard's Corner and Kenmore Square) is closed to non-emergency and non-MBTA bus shuttle traffic (local access only) until 5:00 a.m., on August 14.
o See the "Commonwealth Avenue Closure Detour" on the Traffic Management page.
o Access is maintained for businesses and abutting properties.

• Boston University (BU) Bridge Users:
o The BU Bridge is closed to non-emergency vehicular traffic until 5:00 a.m., on August 14.
o See the "Boston University (BU) Bridge Closure Detour" on the Traffic Management page.

For MBTA Green B Line Users:

• The Green B Line in the area of the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge has been replaced with shuttle buses between Babcock Street and Blandford Street Stations until 5:00 a.m., August 14.  These buses have regular stops along the detour route for boarding/disembarking.
• For more information, please visit the Green Line page on the project website.

For MBTA Commuter Rail:

• The Commuter Rail Framingham/Worcester Line will operate regular service on weekdays.
• On weekends, (July 29-30 and August 5-6), service will terminate at Boston Landing, where customers can take a shuttle to Reservoir Station on the Green Line D branch.  Commuter rail riders will then be able to travel to the downtown Boston Green Line stations.
o Extra Green Line trains will run from Reservoir to Park Street to accommodate Commuter Rail passengers.
o There will be a special Boston Red Sox home game day bus shuttle service for the Worcester/Framingham commuter rail line.  This shuttle will run between Boston Landing and Yawkey Station on the following Red Sox game days:  7/29, 7/30, 8/5, and 8/6.  This Red Sox shuttle bus will depart from Boston Landing Station to Yawkey Station starting three hours before the start of each game and will operate from Yawkey Station to Boston Landing Station after these games, with departures starting 30 minutes after the conclusion of the ballgames.
• See the Commuter Rail page on the project website.

For Amtrak customers:

• On Amtrak’s Lakeshore Limited Line, buses will replace trains between South Station and Albany, New York, during the weekends of July 29-30 and August 5-6.

For MBTA Bus Users:

• MBTA Bus Routes CT2 and 47 are detoured from the normal routes until 5:00 a.m., on August 14.
• See the MBTA Bus page on the project website.
• Route 57 Bus is operating its normal route.

Cox Media Group