Installation of new Comm. Ave. bridge deck begins

BOSTON — The installation of the new deck on the eastbound side of the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge got started Saturday, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced.

The project remains on schedule as demolition was completed before the weekend.

The Mass. Pike will return to three lanes of travel in each direction Monday morning, along with the resumption of Commuter Rail Service along the Framingham/Worcester lines from Boston Landing.

“Our crews are working 24/7 throughout the weekend installing the last of the new steel girders on the eastbound side of Commonwealth Avenue Bridge and are continuing to put in place precast concrete deck panels as part of the detailed accelerated construction design plans,” Transportation Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack.  “A great amount of planning and consideration has gone into this major construction project and we appreciate the cooperation of the public and their efforts to reroute or reduce their travel so that our work crews can conduct operations this summer in ways that minimize the overall impact on the local community.”

The Comm. Ave. Bridge project is happening between now and Aug. 14, an accelerated version of a project that would have taken four to five years to complete. The westbound side of the bridge will be replaced next summer.

But the accelerated project has come with a massive impact to traffic over the past week.

Here’s a look at everything you need to know as the construction is happening.

Travel impacts on I-90:

• Until Monday, August 7: One lane of travel open westbound, 2 lanes open eastbound, with occasional eastbound lane reductions if necessary in off-peak hours.
• Monday, August 7: Three lanes of travel open in each direction.
• Until Monday, August 7: Exit 20 is closed for drivers seeking to exit I-90 west in Allston; these are drivers going to Storrow Drive/Cambridge Street.

·         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).

·         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.

·         I-90 (Mass Pike) Users:

o   From 9:00 p.m., on July 28, to 5:00 a.m., on August 7:

o   I-90 between the Allston Interchange and the Beacon Street Overpass in Boston will have no more than two lanes open in both directions.

o   I-90 in this area will be further reduced to one lane in each direction during off-peak, weekend, and weekday overnight hours.

o   The I-90 Eastbound on-ramp from Cambridge Street/Soldiers Field Road will be closed.

o   The I-90 Westbound Exit 20 off-ramp to Brighton/Cambridge will be closed intermittently.

o   See the "I-90 (Mass Pike) Ramp Closures Detour" on the Traffic Management page.

·         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.

·         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.

·         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.

·         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.

·         MassDOT has requested that the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) allow vehicular traffic on Memorial Drive in Cambridge on Sunday, July 30, and Sunday, August 6 to minimize impacts on local roadways in order to encourage safe access throughout the area.  (Ordinarily, on Sundays in the summer, a section of Memorial Drive in Cambridge is closed to motor vehicles so that it can be used by pedestrians and cyclists.)

·         There are recently installed pedestrian and bicycle wayfinding signage near Green Line shuttle bus stops on Commonwealth Avenue and in the area of Boston University to non-motorized travel especially for short trips. The signs list walking and biking distances to specific destinations.  This is helping to optimize shuttle bus operations by shortening bus wait times and headways.  In general, the public will find it a ten minute walk from where the B Line train service will terminate due to construction and from where the B Line train service will resume.

·         MassDOT is partnering with Hubway to provide additional temporary Hubway stations on Commonwealth Avenue during the construction period so the public can rent a bike.   These stations are located at:

o   Babcock Street

o   Silber Way

·         Hubway Ambassadors are assisting users at these temporary locations Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. through 10:00 a.m. and from 4:00 p.m., though 7:00 p.m., providing additional bikes on a first-come, first-serve basis. All existing Hubway stations along Commonwealth Avenue and the rest of the Hubway service area will continue to be operational.

·         Download the brand new Hubway mobile app, available for iPhone and Android.

·         Use the app to find a station near you.

·         You can also get a pass via the app (only $1 for a single trip or save $20 on a full annual membership during the shutdown.)

·         For more information, visit thehubway.com, and download the new Hubway mobile app.

·         Visit the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge Replacement Project website.

·         Download MassDOT's free GoTime mobile app and view real-time traffic conditions by visiting: www.MassDOTgotime.com

·         Sign up for email notices to receive public meeting notices, construction updates and traffic alerts.

·         Dial 511 and select a route to hear real-time conditions on I-90 and other roads.

·         Visit www.mass511.com, which provides real-time traffic and incident advisory information, and allows users to subscribe to text and email alerts for traffic conditions.

·         Download Waze, the real-time traffic navigation app.

·         Follow MassDOT on Twitter @MassDOT because motor vehicle incidents which impact traffic flow are generally mentioned in tweets if they occur on the state’s major highways.  Follow the MBTA on Twitter for service alerts and other information: @MBTA and @MBTA_CR

·         Sign up on MassDOT's website to receive regular communications about MassDOT projects: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MADOT/subscriber/new

·         Watch this YouTube video showing how construction work will be conducted.

Cox Media Group