BRAINTREE, MASS. (WHDH) - A major bridge replacement project along Route 3 will begin this weekend and it could cause some serious traffic trouble for motorists traveling on the South Shore through Braintree.
Anyone who knows the area, understand how tough traffic can be on Route 3 near the Braintree split. The traffic is now going to get worse because of a MassDOT bridge replacement project.
Transportation officials laid out the plan Thursday ahead of two major bridge replacement projects that are slated to take place on the highway.
MassDOT says it’s demolishing and replacing two bridges on Route 3 north and south. The first project will involve construction on the northbound bridge, which is slated to start Friday at 10 p.m. and runs through 5 a.m. Monday.
“Traffic that travels over that bridge will be diverted via a crossover. This means route three north traffic and Burgin Parkway access will be impacted,” acting highway administrator Jonathan Gulliver said.
MassDOT says it’s hoping to minimize the worst of it by doing both projects over 55 hours on two weekends. The second project is slated for October.
“The general public, when they realize that even though it’s a big inconvenience for a short period of time for the overall benefits are really large, you’re not going to be impacted over a prolonged period like many of our other projects,” Gulliver said.
MassDOT says the bridges are old and need repair. They are taking a page from past projects, like the Comm Ave. bridge and I-93 Fast 14, two accelerated projects that involved putting up prefabricated bridges.
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