Comm Ave Bridge Replacement 'Dry Run' Ends Ahead Of Schedule
BOSTON (CBS) -- MassDOT announced Sunday morning that their "dry run" to prepare for traffic changes during the Commonwealth Avenue bridge replacement project has been finished ahead of schedule.
The project, which reduced traffic on the Massachusetts Turnpike to two lanes in each direction, was completed around 7 a.m.
The goal of the project was to try to find out how drivers would be impacted ahead of the start of the major Commonwealth Avenue bridge reconstruction project later this summer. The bridge's entire superstructure is being replaced.
"After putting the logistics into place at approximately midnight on Friday, we monitored the traffic configuration throughout Saturday and into Sunday morning, and were able to complete our operations ahead of schedule due to the cooperation of the traveling public and the hard work of our crews and contractors, and law enforcement personnel," said Acting Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver in a statement.
The first stage of construction of the Comm Ave Bridge Replacement Project will take place from July 26 to August 14. The Mass Pike will see lanes reduced to two in each direction, and some MBTA bus lines and the Green Line's B branch will be diverted.
There will also be impacts to Amtrak service, and the Commuter Rail's Worcester-Framingham line, on weekends.
More work on the project will be done next summer, with the final phase in 2019.