Best Highway/Bridge: Chelsea Viaduct Rehabilitation
This exceedingly complex and challenging project provided a 75-year design life for the structurally deficient critical link between the city of Chelsea, Mass., its northern suburbs and Boston. The $190-million project took place at night with heavy equipment and posed many risks. It also had significant liquidated damages for late completions and daily fines if the roadway was not restored to two lanes in each direction every morning.
The Chelsea Viaduct, which was built in the 1950s, has 76 spans that cross several city streets and the MBTA commuter rail. It carries 84,000 vehicles per day on U.S. Route 1—a primary route for North shore commuters and the MBTA’s third-largest bus route into Boston—through Chelsea.