From MassDOT:

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is hosting two Pre-Construction Public Meetings for the Commonwealth Ave Bridge Replacement Project:

Tuesday, July 11, 6:30 PM
Boston University College of General Studies
Jacob Sleeper Auditorium (Lower Level, Room 129)
871 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA

Thursday, July 13, 6:30 PM
Newton Free Library, Druker Auditorium
330 Homer Street, Newton, MA

The same presentation will be delivered at each meeting, so participants may choose the most convenient date or location.

MassDOT and project team staff will describe the Summer 2017 Construction Shutdown (July 26 – August 14) in more detail, review detour routes, and respond to questions. Download the meeting flyer for more information.

I-90 in Boston Reduced to Three Lanes in Each Direction, July 7 – August 28

To prepare for the upcoming 2017 Construction Shutdown beginning on July 26, I-90 (Mass Pike) will be reduced from four lanes to three lanes in each direction in Boston between the Allston Interchange and the Beacon Street Overpass beginning on the evening of Friday, July 7. After July 7 and until August 28, lane reductions will be necessary and MassDOT will strive to make lane shift decisions in the best way possible to lessen the impact on drivers using the highway.

The reduction to three lanes in each direction on July 7 is necessary in order to allow for logistical setups for the replacement of the Commonwealth Bridge over I-90. Crews on July 7 will begin to use the non-travel lanes areas to build a crane and place major equipment in the median of I-90.

As a reminder, I-90 will be impacted as follows for the 2017 Construction Shutdown:

  • I-90 will be reduced to 2 lanes in both directions during peak hours from 9:00 PM on July 28 to 5:00 AM on August 7 (additional lane closures during off-peak hours).
  • The I-90 Eastbound on-ramp from Cambridge Street/Soldiers Field Road will be closed from 9:00 PM on July 28 to 5:00 AM on August 7 and the I-90 Westbound Exit 20 off-ramp to Brighton/Cambridge will be closed intermittently during this timeframe.

For a full list of traffic impacts and detour routes, see the Traffic Management page of the project website.

Please see the project website: www.mass.gov/massdot/commavebridge
for more information, to view detour routes and maps,
and to sign up for email alerts.

Please share this advisory with anyone you think may be interested in the project, and encourage them to sign up for email alerts for traffic updates and meeting announcements.

For any questions or comments, please contact Jim Kersten, MassDOT Legislative Liaison, at 857-368-9041 or by email at CommAveBridge@dot.state.ma.us.

Sincerely,
Commonwealth Ave Bridge Replacement Project Team

This location is accessible to people with disabilities. MassDOT provides reasonable accommodations and/or language assistance free of charge upon request (including but not limited to interpreters in American Sign Language and languages other than English, open or closed captioning for videos, assistive listening devices and alternate material formats, such as audio tapes, Braille and large print), as available. For accommodation or language assistance, please contact MassDOT’s Chief Diversity and Civil Rights Officer by phone (857-368-8580), fax (857-368-0602), TTD/TTY (857-368-0603) or by email MASSDOT.CivilRights@dot.state.ma.us. Requests should be made as soon as possible prior to the meeting, and for more difficult to arrange services including sign-language, CART or language translation or interpretation, requests should be made at least ten business days before the meeting.

Title VI Notice of Nondiscrimination: MassDOT complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and related federal and state statutes and regulations. It is the policy of MassDOT to ensure that no person or group of persons shall on the grounds of Title VI protected categories, including race, color, national origin, or under additional federal and state protected categories including sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, creed, ancestry, veteran’s status (including Vietnam-era veterans), or background, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity administered by MassDOT. To request additional information about this commitment, or to file a complaint under Title VI or a related nondiscrimination provision, please contact MassDOT’s Title VI Specialist by phone at (857) 368-8580, TTY at (857) 368-8580, fax (857) 368-0602or by e-mail at MASSDOT.CivilRights@dot.state.ma.us.

If information is needed in another language, please contact the MassDOT Title VI Specialist by phone at (857) 368-8580.

Caso esta informação seja necessária em outro idioma, favor contar o Especialista em Título VI do MassDOT pelo fone 857-368-8580.
Si necesita información en otro lenguaje, favor contactar al especialista de MassDOT del Título VI al 857-368-8580.

4 replies on “Comm Ave Bridge Replacement Project Update: Pre-Construction Public Meetings”

  1. Hi Sen Brownsberger and Will,

    It is great to see this project getting done but I am concerned about the railroading of Riverbend Park in Cambridge during the Sundays during construction. Riverbend is the park created when Memorial Drive is shut down on Sundays in the spring, summer and fall. It is created by an act of the legislature (chapter 457 acts of 1985) and can only be suspended if there is a threat to public safety in the judgement of DCR. They claim they are suspending the park because of a request by MassDOT, and while MassDOT claims there is a threat to public safety, they are unable to provide any data, study or other information regarding this suspension. I believe this is in violation of statute, as well as section 4(f) of the USDOT act of 1966 regarding the impact of highway projects on parklands.

    Would you be willing to contact MassDOT Aand request that they provide the reasoning behind this preemptive shut down of a well-used park? It is not part of any detour route and they have provided no rationale beyond “because we said so” which does not qualify as a bona fide threat to public safety.

    Thanks.

  2. When they shut down Memorial Drive in Cambridge on Sundays for recreation it does not help matters.

  3. I agree with Ari. There seems to be a problem with your website — it is not loading the rest of the comments after Ari’s.

  4. I sure wish I could rely on the T to work while I cannot take the pike to get to Boston for work.

    I noticed that there was a line of cement mixers and heavy construction equipment lined up on the bridge immediately before it had a problem. I noticed that. I know it doesn’t matter that I saw it. But it’s hard not to feel like it was ruined on purpose, because any idiot even I could see that those trucks and things didn’t go on a little bridge made in the 50’s.

    I also saw an extra half an hour wait to get onto the pike this morning, up from the previous wait. I didn’t expect the change until Wednesday, but traffic delays are like the weather, I suppose.

    Can we at least have a T someday, a way to get to work? Or maybe even a pretense of pressure to bear for the working folks to survive this?

Comments are closed.