STATE OFFICIALS ANNOUNCED on Monday that they plan to replace the structurally deficient Commonwealth Avenue bridge in two phases this summer and next summer, causing disruptions to local car and MBTA travel as well as Turnpike, commuter rail , and Amtrak service.
The first construction phase focused on half the bridge will run from July 26 through Aug. 14. All vehicle travel except for buses will be halted on Commonwealth Avenue and on the BU Bridge during that period. MBTA B Line service will be closed from Blandford Street to Babcock Street and be replaced by shuttle bus service.
The Turnpike runs beneath the bridge and during construction the number of lanes will be reduced from four each way to two each way. Commuter rail and Amtrak service, which runs adjacent to the Turnpike, will be closed for two weekends.
Thomas Tinlin, the state highway administrator, said the bridge is 52 years old, its concrete is compromised, and its steel beams are corroded. He said its substructure was rehabbed between 2014 and 2016 so it remains safe to use.
Tinlin said the timetable of the accelerated construction project was selected because traffic is typically down at that time and college students haven’t begun to arrive on campus yet. During Red Sox games, service on the D and C Lines of the Green Line will be expanded and shuttle buses serving commuter rail will operate from Yawkey Way to Boston Landing.
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About Bruce Mohl
Bruce Mohl is the editor of CommonWealth magazine. Bruce came to CommonWealth from the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper. At CommonWealth, Bruce helped launch the magazine’s website and has written about a wide range of issues with a special focus on politics, tax policy, energy, and gambling. Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He lives in Dorchester.
About Bruce Mohl
Bruce Mohl is the editor of CommonWealth magazine. Bruce came to CommonWealth from the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper. At CommonWealth, Bruce helped launch the magazine’s website and has written about a wide range of issues with a special focus on politics, tax policy, energy, and gambling. Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He lives in Dorchester.
During construction, Commonwealth Avenue will be closed to private vehicles but will be open to pedestrians and bicyclists. “If you had the ability to walk or bike to work, this would be a good time to do it,” Tinlin said.
The state’s website on the construction project can be found here.
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