For commuters who rely on Comm Ave., you’re now able to travel over the main road again after three weeks of construction work.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s major work on the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge is completed and as of Wednesday morning, the Green Line B Branch is once again up and running along the road.
Crews tested the new MBTA track infrastructure overnight on Tuesday, according to MassDOT, ahead of normal trolley service resuming Wednesday morning.
Workers also painted travel lines on the eastbound bridge deck overnight and removed heavy equipment to allow private vehicles to once again drive over the bridge.
There’s still some minor work to complete, though. Crews need to finish the final paving work, install curbing and sidewalk and wrap up utility work.
These tasks are expected to take place throughout the coming weeks, the department said, and “are not expected to significantly impact vehicular traffic or the local community.”
ALERT: After 21 days, major construction on the Comm Ave Bridge is complete this year.
Traffic has resumed on the BU Bridge & Comm Ave. pic.twitter.com/KJwP1og2Wy
— Only In Boston (@OnlyInBOS) August 16, 2017
MassDOT will place temporary pavement markings, delineated bicycle lanes and detours for pedestrians around that work.
Drivers will also see temporary lane reductions during off-peak traffic hours on both Commonwealth Avenue and the Massachusetts Turnpike in the areas near the bridge.
Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack and MBTA Deputy General Manager Jeff Gonneville thanked the public for their patience during the construction, as well as crews for their “round-the-clock work.”
Ahead of the project’s start, MassDOT warned commuters that construction would cause a “hellish three weeks.” The intense delays were necessary, officials said, because workers used an “accelerated bridge technique” that is more disruptive to traffic at the time, but shortens the project’s overall length.
With normal techniques, the complete Commonwealth Avenue Bridge construction would have taken about five years, officials said.
Commonwealth Avenue’s reopening is a “milestone,” MassDOT said, representing intensive construction in which crews replaced the eastbound side of the bridge in approximately three weeks. The westbound side of the bridge will be replaced in a similar manner next summer.
