Though the Massachusetts Turnpike was free of heavy closures ahead of schedule, the reopening of Commonwealth Avenue has been delayed.
Officials said that the final work in the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge Project saw delays due to weather conditions, like rain postponing the pouring of concrete.
Roads and rails were expected to return to normal service on Monday, Aug. 14. Now, officials say Comm Ave, the bridge and the Green Line B Branch will be back to full working condition by the middle of this week.
“This weekend’s work has taken longer than expected and the project team is committed to completing this phase of our operations as quickly and efficiently as possible,” said Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack in a statement. “We expect to be able to shift our focus in the middle of this week to the stage of work that should not significantly impact travel as it will include minor finishing tasks such as building sidewalks and curbing throughout this area.”
Crews were able to place new concrete on Sunday, but it needs to cure for at least 24 hours and the newly installed rail must be tested prior to train service resuming.
Green Line B Branch trains will continue to be replaced by shuttle buses between Babcock and Blanford streets through the middle of the week.
The Boston University Bridge and the Comm Ave Bridge will remain closed to private vehicles or the same time period.
All four lanes of travel both east and westbound on I-90 under the Comm Ave Bridge will be open, officials said.
For the next several weeks, commuters will see short term, off-peak lane reductions on Comm Ave near the area of the bridge. This will allow worked to continue minor operations.
“We recognize this is a temporary inconvenience but appreciate the public’s understanding of our commitment to conducting work in a way that reduces our overall impact on the local community and ensures quality and reliability as we replace the eastbound side of the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge,” said Acting Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver in a statement.
Next summer, the westbound deck of the bridge will be replaced using the same accelerated methods.
