Mass Pike Down to One Lane This Weekend for Bridge Work

The Mass Pike will narrow to just one lane in each direction between Newton and Weston exits from May 30 to June 2, impacting thousands of weekend drivers.

Crews will begin a critical bridge replacement between exits 123 and 125 starting Friday at 9 p.m. until Monday at 5 a.m. The work is part of a big $400 million upgrade project, mainly replacing the bridge over MBTA tracks.

"While accelerated bridge construction methods will be used to replace the bridge, this project will significantly impact travelers during this weekend," said Massachusetts Department of Transportation officials to Boston.com.

Highway administrator Jonathan Gulliver didn't mince words. "We're looking for you to just stay away from the area," said Gulliver to Boston.com.

If traffic stays normal, delays could hit three hours. But if half the usual traffic finds other routes, wait times should drop considerably.

The project includes work on eight bridges total - replacing five at the I-90/I-95 intersection and fixing up three others. Work started in spring 2024 and runs through late 2028.

This key highway connects Boston's airport, downtown, and Worcester. On normal days, about 140,000 vehicles use this stretch daily.

People taking the train will need to hop on buses instead along the Framingham/Worcester line during the work.

The updates fix old designs from the 1970s, making more room for freight trains below and adding better noise barriers for neighbors.

The last time they did work here, traffic backed up onto Route 128 and local roads. Expect similar backups as drivers look for alternate routes this weekend.