The Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that the renovation of the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge will be delayed by one year, according to a Tuesday press release.
The Commonwealth Avenue Superstructure Replacement Project aims to replace the existing bridge, which includes a section of Commonwealth Avenue and goes over the Massachusetts Turnpike. A major renovation stage was previously slated to begin during the summer of 2016 before errors on behalf of the construction company, Walsh Construction, put this goal out of reach, the release stated.
“Design errors on the part of their engineering firm of HDR Inc., have resulted in fabrication delays,” the release stated. “Walsh Construction would be unable to meet the dates established for the 2016 closure phase.”
According to the release, “on June 30, travel lanes on I-90 will increase from three to four in each direction.” These measures aim to ease current traffic congestion.
MassDOT spokesperson Jacquelyn Goddard said the Bridge Project was first introduced last year.
“The project officially began with the notice to proceed on June 12 last year,” Goddard said. “What is being postponed is the shutdown of the mass transit to accommodate construction and lane closures and other impacts for the driving public.”
Goddard said the postponed phase of the bridge renovation calls for reduced lanes on I-90 as well as limited shutdown of mass transit. These closures may cause increased traffic congestion and trouble for commuters.
However, Goddard explained that the project has been strategically planned around peak commuting hours.
“This is a very complex and necessarily orchestrated project because we have a major highway system, the Mass Pike, involved in this project,” Goddard said. “It’s very important that we do what we can to lessen the impact on the driving public and lessen the impact on mass transit riders.”
Goddard said renovation of the bridge is necessary in order to “accommodate changes in travel patterns and an increase in vehicle count.”
Taking the current delay into account, the renovation is scheduled to be completed Sept. 29, 2018, according to the release.
MassDOT and Walsh Construction are not the only groups involved in the project. Advocacy groups and non-profits, such as WalkBoston, have participated in MassDOT’s renovation of the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge.
WalkBoston is a non-profit group in Boston advocating for walking as a mode of transportation. According to Executive Director Wendy Landman, the group’s mission is “to make walking safer and easier in Massachusetts to encourage better health, a cleaner environment and more vibrant communities.”
Landman agreed that the bridge project is critical and said they are “concerned with making the construction period as painless as possible for everybody.”
WalkBoston’s main focus in the project is the results of the renovation.
“The focus for WalkBoston and many other advocates who have been working on this is the long-term design, how the streets and sidewalks are going to be configured after the construction project, not so much the construction period itself,” Landman said.
Several Boston residents said they are not looking forward to traffic congestion during construction but are glad the bridge is going to be renovated.
Ann Johnson, 35, of the South End, said she was glad the bridge will be renovated in the near future.
“I guess you don’t think about the infrastructure often, but it needs to be updated just like anything else,” she said. “It’s scary to think about the bridge giving out because it was too old or anything like that.”
Emma Taylor, 26, of South Boston, said she would not mind a delay as long as the project is completed safely.
“Delays are annoying, but that’s kind of how anything is when there’s construction,” she said. “As long as the delay is happing for a reason and it’s to keep the project safe, the delay doesn’t matter.”
Robert Lee, 30, of Back Bay, said he supports the renovation.
“I haven’t really thought about it, but it’s fitting for Boston,” he said. “Boston is so old and so modern at the same time, so we have to keep rebuilding things and making sure everything is up to par.”
