Commonwealth Ave. Bridge Replacement Project: Friday, July 26 – Saturday, August 11


7/3/2018 • 6 years ago

caution sign The information on this page may be outdated as it was published 6 years ago.

The 2018 construction window for the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge Replacement Project is scheduled to take place between Thursday, July 26th and Saturday, August 11th. During construction, pedestrians and bicyclists will have access across the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge on the eastbound side and on the BU Bridge at all times. The following maps display the routes that will be in place during this timeframe:

The Pedestrian Routes and Detours map shows the minor pedestrian detour that will be in place during construction to keep pedestrians safely away from the work zone on the westbound side of the Comm Ave Bridge.

  • Pedestrians will be able to access all existing sidewalks, except the sidewalk along Comm Ave westbound between approximately Amory St and University Rd and the sidewalk on the southbound side of the BU Bridge. 
  • A temporary pedestrian path will be established from Comm Ave near University Rd through the adjacent parking lot to connect to the sidewalk along the northbound side of the BU Bridge. 
  • Pedestrian crossings will be in place at Amory St and at Carlton St/University Rd where pedestrians can cross to use the sidewalk along Comm Ave eastbound for east-west travel. 

The Bicycle Routes and Detours map shows the bicycle route that will be in place during construction.

  • Bicyclists will be routed to Amory St and St. Mary's St as an alternative to north-south bike travel between the BU Bridge and Mountfort St/Essex St. 
  • Eastbound bicyclists heading to the BU Bridge will cross Comm Ave at Carlton St to a shared bike/pedestrian walkway to travel westbound to connect to the BU Bridge. 
  • Westbound bicyclists will cross at Carlton St and continue westbound in a temporary bike lane alongside the bus-only lane in the eastbound roadway. They will cross back to Comm Ave westbound at Amory St. 
  • Eastbound bicyclists will continue to use the existing westbound bicycle lanes. 
  • There are no crossings between Amory St and Carlton St. 
  • There will be portions of the route near the work zone where cyclists will have to walk their bikes due to limited width in those areas that must be shared with pedestrians. We anticipate high volumes of pedestrians and bicyclists within those areas that would result in too many conflicts for bicyclists to safely ride.

The Walk and Bike Times map shows the estimated walk and bike times between different landmarks along Comm Ave. MassDOT is encouraging active transportation throughout the project and has partnered with Blue Bikes to provide additional temporary bike stations during construction. Wayfinding signs will also be posted along Comm Ave and on the Cambridge side of the BU Bridge.

MassDOT is hosting public meetings on July 17th and 18th to discuss the project and address questions or concerns; view the meeting flyer for more information. 

For More Information

Visit http://camb.ma/CommAve2018 or contact CommAveBridge@dot.state.ma.us