MBTA construction crews closing part of Monsignor O’Brien Highway for Green Line Extension project

The MBTA has been under scrutiny by the FTA for months.

MBTA

A portion of Monsignor O’Brien Highway in East Cambridge will be closed this weekend to provide Green Line Extension (GLX) work crews adequate space to safely demolish the remaining section of the Lechmere Viaduct deck where it crosses over the Highway at Lechmere Station.  

Traffic detours will go into effect before dawn on Saturday, June 20, and will remain in place throughout the weekend until early Monday morning, June 22. Demolition activities will occur from 7 AM to 7 PM followed by clean-up activities from 7 PM to 10 PM. Less disruptive activities such as work zone preparation and breaking down traffic control items will take place overnight.  

The demolition work will involve saw-cutting and jackhammering sections of elevated concrete deck for removal by trucks at the ground level. The contractor is under a general obligation to make reasonable efforts to minimize noise where it is feasible to do so. However, due to the nature of this work, elevated noise levels are expected, which may be disruptive at times. Traffic on Monsignor O’Brien Highway is expected to resume by Monday morning, June 22, with minor restrictions in some areas.  

The weekend work further advances the relocation and reconstruction of the new Lechmere Station now underway as part of the GLX project. The project, scheduled for completion in December of 2021, will extend Green Line service from the new Lechmere Station along 2 new branches to Union Square in Somerville and to College Avenue/Tufts University in Medford.

To keep traffic moving, a comprehensive transportation management plan was developed by GLX in close coordination with MassDOT’s District 6 Highway Division and the City of Cambridge. The plan involves police officers on detail strategically located to ease congestion. Traffic detours will be clearly marked for trucks, motor vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles.

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