Comm. Ave. Bridge Project Stays on Track

I-90 reopened to full capacity a day early on Aug. 5

Comm. Ave. Bridge 2018 — Interstate-90 reopened to full capacity a day early on Aug. 5. The $110-million Comm. Ave. Bridge project is expected to be completed by Aug. 11. Photo courtesy of the Massachusetts Dept. of Transportation.

Cars have resumed travel in all four lanes of Interstate-90—the Massachusetts Turnpike--in Boston, after reopening to full capacity on Aug. 5.

This was considered a major interim milestone for the $110 million Commonwealth Ave. Bridge project, where all of the steel beams have been replaced on the westbound side of the bridge, according to a Massachusetts Dept. of Transportation statement.

In the evening of July 27, I-90 was reduced to one or two lanes of travel in each direction, and was originally scheduled to re-open to full capacity by 5 a.m. on Aug. 6. Off-peak and overnight lane closures will continue to be necessary, according to MassDOT, as crews finish work on the fast-track project.

The project is scheduled to be completed by Aug. 11.

Johanna Knapschaefer, ENR’s New England Special Correspondent, has been writing about trends in design and construction of buildings, bridges, tunnels and other infrastructure for more than a decade. She also profiles award-winning industry leaders and delves into broader construction issues such as workforce training, worker safety and health, climate change remediation and emerging offshore wind and tidal energy developments. Over the past two decades, her articles have appeared in Architectural Record, BusinessWeek, the Boston Globe, American Banker, Modern Metals, BusinessNH Magazine, Pittsburgh Magazine and many other publications. Johanna is fluent in Japanese, and taught English and academic writing in the Science and Engineering Department of Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, while living in Japan for eight years.

When not writing, Johanna enjoys mountain climbing, singing and playing her Spanish guitar.