Working above live infrastructure required careful coordination with state agencies, city stakeholders and utility providers. Building over the Mass Turnpike and active MBTA tracks made it one of the most logistically and technically complex construction sites in the city. The team needed to meet stringent MassDOT and MBTA standards not typically applied to private development, including tolerances to 1/16 of an inch and the application of the MassDOT LRFD

Photo by Vanderwarker, courtesy Suffolk

Bridge Manual and AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications. Through early engagement, transparent coordination and iterative reviews, the team established a workflow that met stakeholder demands.

Suffolk coordinated rolling roadblocks with MassDOT to install 50-foot-long steel girders and precast panels above live highway traffic. Operations required minute-to-minute precision, and each pick had to be completed within 15-minute windows managed by Massachusetts State Police.

A project-specific cantilevered work platform over the highway and railway played a critical role in maintaining safety while keeping the project on schedule by providing a stable, elevated workspace for the building envelope install. This platform eliminated fall hazards and the need for rolling roadblocks and lane closures, allowing for safe install over live traffic.

Photo by Vanderwarker, courtesy Suffolk

Fabrication constraints added another layer of complexity. The team resequenced steel installation to allow vertical construction to continue while precast deck work progressed in parallel. Fireproofing was pre-applied to steel and precast concrete components offsite at facilities in Vermont and Quebec to save time.

As the project progressed, the building program changed significantly, as it shifted from standard offices to lab-ready facilities. The scope change required wholesale upgrades to mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems—while construction was already underway. Suffolk maintained schedule through collaborative pricing and pre-approvals with the client, which allowed changes to proceed without delay while costs were reviewed.

Photo courtesy Suffolk

The hotel—built with post-tension concrete systems—features seamless curtainwall transitions

and detailed finishes. The office tower’s cast-in-place core and steel frame created open, flexible floorplates ready for lab conversion. Both structures required exacting quality control across finishes, envelope and building systems.

Despite some pandemic-related supply chain issues and working over live transit lines and active highway, Suffolk remained committed to schedule milestones. As a result, Parcel 12

remained on track for tenant turnover and occupancy phases across all major components. The project was completed at budget and on schedule in December 2024.