Route 128 Needham Bridge Demolition Finished Early
NEEDHAM (CBS) -- North and Southbound closures on Route 128 were needed to remove the old Highland Avenue bridge over the highway--but the bridge is now gone, and officials are happy at how quickly the project was finished.
Drivers had been asked to seek alternative routes this weekend to minimize delays--but MassDOT said that traffic flow was not impacted during peak weekend travel time, and the demolition of the old bridge was finished ahead of schedule.
"We look at this as a real success," MassDOT Highway Administrator Thomas Tinlin told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Ben Parker. "We were ahead of schedule on both nights."
Tinlin said he is pleased that work to tear down the old bridge caused shorter road closures than anticipated.
"I think there was a lot of really good planning and engineer work and contractor work with our partners in the contracting industry," he said. "We were able to end both of those early and now we're out of the way."
He said completing this portion of the project allows them to push forward with the rest of it--with a completion date set for Spring 2019.
There's a lot of work to be done as part of this add-a-lane project, in hopes of making it an easier place to drive.
"There's new ramps, there's new access, and there's also a collector road between Highland Ave and Kendrick Street," said Tinlin.
The overall project is expected to cost $137 million.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Ben Parker reports