Above: Three Southborough bridges and another in Westborough are scheduled to be replaced next summer. (images cropped from Google Maps)
Last month, I updated readers on the state’s plans to replace four MassPike bridges in/bordering Southborough. Yesterday, I got another update on preliminary project stages.
Work will be beginning in town tomorrow through early January, but it doesn’t sound disruptive:
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing that preliminary work to prepare for major construction will begin on Wednesday, December 2, 2020. The public should expect to see the contractor and its subcontractors on-site primarily during the hours of 7:00 AM and 3:30 PM, Monday through Friday. Occasional overnight lane closures will occur on I-90.
The project will replace bridges on I-90 east and westbound over Flanders Road in Westborough and Parkerville Road, Cordaville Road, and Woodland Road in Southborough. The replacement of the eight bridges will take place over eight weekends in summer 2021.
The preliminary work will include the following and take place through early January 2021.
On local roads:
- A site walk to identify invasive plant species at each of the bridges for removal prior to the start of major construction;
- Setting up sound monitoring equipment to measure pre-construction sound levels to develop a noise management plan; and
- Relocating a fiber optic cable underground in the Flanders Road southbound shoulder.
On I-90:
- Off-peak lane closures to collect survey data
Public information meetings will be scheduled throughout the project. Please be sure to sign up for the email list at the website link below to receive meeting notices and project updates.
For more information about the project and to sign up to receive project updates and meeting notices, please visit the website at www.mass.gov/acceler-8-i-90-
bridge-replacements-project .For questions or to report issues related to the work to the project team, please email A8@dot.state.ma.us.
MassDOT urges those traveling through the area to obey posted speed limits and use caution. The schedule for this major infrastructure project is weather dependent and subject to change without notice.
