MEDFORD, MASS. (WHDH) - Massachusetts Department of Transportation officials announced they are planning to shut down a section of Interstate 93 as crews continue working to repair a smashed overpass in Medford.
Between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., traffic will be detoured off of Exit 24 and onto the Route 28 Fellsway as road crews continue to make repairs to a damaged overpass that was smashed by a truck hauling an oversized load earlier this week.
In addition, the two left travel lanes on I-93 northbound will close at 9 p.m. and the westbound bridge at Roosevelt Circle will be closed to traffic. The eastbound rotary bridge damaged during the incident on Monday, July 19, will remain closed.
“All lanes of I-93 southbound and two lanes on I-93 northbound are being closed tonight through approximately 5 a.m. tomorrow so that demolition can proceed above the interstate,” said Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. “These late-night lane closures are necessary to enable crews to safely remove damaged portions of the structure without risk to interstate traffic.”
A large piece of metal equipment that was being transported on an Alabama-based Dove Transportation Co. truck collided with part of the Roosevelt Circle overpass on the southbound side of the highway near Exit 24 around 3:30 p.m. Monday, sending debris from the bridge deck crashing to the ground.
The driver of the 2013 Peterbilt 367, a 57-year-old Alabama man, was uninjured. His passenger, a 54-year-old Alabama woman, was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
Massachusetts Department of Transportation officials were brought in to inspect the structural integrity of the bridge and found that the impact of the crash caused extensive damage to an outside beam.
The entire beam and a section of bridge deck, approximately seven feet wide, will need to be demolished between the west abutment and the center pier, located above I-93 southbound lanes of travel. Repairs are expected to take anywhere from six to eight months.
The eastbound bridge will be reopened when repairs are complete but the work could take anywhere from six to eight months.
The driver will be ticketed $105 for being overheight and $105 for violating the permit issued by the Department of Transportation by being off course. The driver may still face criminal charges in connection with the crash.
Motorists should avoid the area if possible and take public transportation but those traveling on the highway should reduce speed and use caution.
There are currently no travel impacts to the northbound lanes on I-93.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)