Rte 93 Bridge Replacement Prep Work Begins Monday

14 Bridges to be Replaced Over Ten Weekends in Summer

Beginning on Monday, March 14th, work crews will begin construction activities in preparation for the upcoming replacement of fourteen deteriorated bridge superstructures on Route I-93 in Medford.

The $98.1 million project to replace these fourteen bridge superstructures in Medford is funded through the Patrick-Murray Administration’s historic Accelerated Bridge Program, a $3 billion recovery effort to reduce the Commonwealth’s backlog of structurally-deficient bridges. The overall project, known as “93Fast14” is being implemented using an innovative approach to replacing the bridges that will expedite the work with major construction during ten weekends between June and August and completion in 2011.

The preliminary work commencing next week will focus on the construction of temporary median crossovers at the northern and southern limits of the project. These crossovers will be used during the majority of weekends this summer to allow the bridge replacement activities to occur.

To facilitate the preliminary work activities, the following overnight lane restrictions are scheduled for next week:

Route I-93 Northbound:

– Monday evening, March 14th through Thursday morning, March 17th: The left lane will be closed between 8:00 PM and 5:00 AM in the area beyond Exit 29 (Routes 28/38) near the Somerville/Medford line.

– Thursday evening, March 17th through Saturday morning, March 19th: The left lane will be closed between 8:00 PM and 5:00 AM in the area beyond Exit 33 (Route 28) near the Medford/Stoneham line.

Route I-93 Southbound

– Monday evening, March 14th through Wednesday morning, March 16th: The left lane will be closed between 8:00 PM and 5:00 AM in the area beyond Exit 30 (Route 38) near the Medford/Somerville line.

– Wednesday evening, March 16th through Saturday morning, March 19th: The left lane will be closed between 8:00 PM and 5:00 AM in the area near Exit 30 (Route 38) near the Medford/Somerville line. A second left lane will be closed on these evenings in this same area between 9:00 PM and 5:00 AM.

Appropriate signs, channelizing devices and traffic control measures will be used to guide drivers through the work zone. MassDOT encourages drivers to allow extra time for their trips and to reduce speed and use caution when travelling through the work zone.

For more information or to sign up to receive future updates and schedule information, visit the project’s website at www.mass.gov/massdot/93fast14.

The “93Fast14” project is being implemented using an innovative approach to replacing the bridges that will expedite the work so that the bridge construction will be complete in 2011. MassDOT used the design-build procurement process to accelerate project development, enabling construction to begin quickly.

To minimize traffic impacts and streamline construction, the project features modular bridge technology, enabling much of the work to be performed off-site. The bridge replacement units will be built at remote fabrication facilities and then shipped to the site. During a series of ten weekends between June and August, the replacement units will be put into place using heavy lifting equipment.

In order to demolish the existing bridges and replace them with the new units, MassDOT will close the necessary bridge location and cross traffic from one side of I-93 to the other, maintaining two lanes of traffic in each direction at all times. The rapid construction techniques employed by MassDOT will allow all travel lanes on Route I-93 to be fully reopened each Monday morning.

– Information from MassDOT