Massachusetts

Mass Pike Lane Closures Start This Weekend

Delays are expected throughout the summer

The Massachusetts Turnpike will be reduced from four to three lanes in each direction beginning Friday night as part of the Commonwealth Avenue bridge replacement project.

The lane closures will stretch from the Allston/Brighton interchange to the Beacon Street Overpass in Boston. The closures take effect at 9 p.m. and are expected to continue through Aug. 28.

The move is necessary to allow for the replacement of the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge that runs over the highway. Massachusetts Department of Transportation crews will use the unused lanes to build a crane and place equipment in the median.

Delays are expected, and highway officials said drivers should consider alternative modes of transportation, including public transit. The commuter rail in this area is also expected to be impacted by this construction later in July and August.

Detours and transit shuttles will be necessary for some station stops on the MBTA’s Green Line B Branch, MBTA bus routes CT2 and 47, the Worcester Commuter Rail Line, and Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited route.

MassDOT crews will also be working in the area of the former Allston/Brighton toll plaza beginning during the off-peak, overnight hours on Friday as part of the continued toll demolition and road construction project. These lane reductions are expected to be completed by 7 a.m. on Sunday.

The full list of upcoming impacts on the Mass Pike in this area as result of the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge Project is as follows:

  • I-90 westbound reduced to three lanes in each direction in this area at all times starting at 9 p.m., on Friday, July 7.
  • I-90 eastbound reduced to three lanes in each direction in this area at all times starting at 9 p.m., on Saturday, July 8.
  • I-90 reduced to two lanes in each direction in this area during peak periods between Friday, July 28 and Monday, Aug. 7.
  • I-90 increased to three lanes in each direction in this area on Monday, Aug. 7.
  • I-90 returns to four lanes in each direction in this area by Monday, Aug. 28.

Another traffic project getting underway on Friday night is the reconstruction and paving of the new Highland Avenue Bridge in the Needham-Wellesley area. The project is expected to run from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. on Monday, and will result in traffic diversions and ramp closures for hte ramps connecting Highland Avenue to Interstate 95, and reduce Highland Avenue to one lane in each direction.

Traffic will be detoured as follows:

Traffic on I-95 SB headed toward Highland Avenue West: 

  • Proceed south to exit 19A
  • Turn right onto 1st Avenue
  • Take the right onto Kendrick Street
  • Take the right onto Hunting Road
  • Take Left on Highland Ave West

Traffic on Highland Avenue headed toward I-95 North:

  • Continue on Highland Avenue Westbound
  • Turn right at Gould Street or Webster Street
  • Turn left onto Central Avenue
  • Turn right at Cedar Street
  • Turn right at Worcester Street to enter Route 9
  • Take the on-ramp for I-95 North (to Peabody)
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