A portion of Commonwealth Avenue and the Boston University Bridge will be closed to private motor vehicle traffic from July 27 to Aug. 14 as the state replaces an overpass above the Massachusetts Turnpike, likely causing traffic problems on major throughways into Boston.
Officials briefed the news media on their plans on Monday and the top state highway official said it would lead to “problems” if drivers do not change their patterns to adjust to the construction schedule.
Interstate 90 traffic will be reduced to two lanes in either direction from July 28 to Aug. 7, and passengers aboard the Green Line’s B branch trollies will be diverted onto shuttle buses between Blandford Street and Babcock Street starting July 26, according to the MBTA.
Highway Administrator Tom Tinlin said traffic volumes and MBTA ridership tends to be lower at that time of year and officials aimed to avoid closures during the July 4 holiday and the traditional college move-in time later in August.
The shutdowns are part of an $81.8 million project to replace the bridge deck, which was built in 1965 and is structurally deficient, according to Tinlin. Tinlin said the state decided on an abbreviated project schedule rather than spending the estimated four to five years of lane closures on a “conventional” construction timeline.
“I think this approach is much better. Just rip the Band-Aid off,” Tinlin said. The state will undertake a second phase of the project next summer, too, but Tinlin said the closures in 2018 will not be as lengthy as this summer.
In a briefing with reporters on Monday, Tinlin said the lane reductions would “clog” Interstate 90 and unless drivers change their patterns in response to the construction “we’re going to have some problems.”
State officials will do a “dry run” of the Interstate 90 lane closures on June 3 and 4, and starting on July 7 the state will reduce Interstate 90 from four lanes to three lanes in both directions so that workers can construct a crane in the median. Those lane restrictions will remain in place until Aug. 28, according to Tinlin.
During construction, the overpass will be open to bicyclists, pedestrians and buses, Tinlin said. MassDOT will hold a briefing for elected officials on Thursday and plans public meetings on April 24 and April 27 in Boston and May 3 in Framingham.
The Framingham/Worcester commuter rail line into South Station will be suspended July 29-30 and Aug. 5-6, and commuter rail passengers will be able to take shuttle buses, according to the MBTA. Additional C branch Green Line service will be provided during the construction, and extra D branch service will be provided during Red Sox home games and when the commuter rail service is suspended, according to MBTA Deputy Chief Operating Officer Todd Johnson.
In addition to fixing a deficient bridge, the state last year approved an overhaul of Commonwealth Avenue running from the BU Bridge to Packard’s Corner, which will establish cycle tracks for bikers and easier street crossings for pedestrians. Tinlin said those are “two separate projects.”
