It Begins: Mass Pike Bridge Project Will Crunch Lanes All Summer

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Mass Pike drivers got a taste of the Acceler-8 project two weekends ago. Now the real thing is here.

Over eight consecutive weekends this summer starting June 18, MassDOT will replace eight outdated bridges along the Mass Pike in Southborough and Westborough. That will mean weekend-long traffic alterations with the freeway cut down to two lanes in either direction between Framingham and I-495. Traffic will also be pushed to one side of the freeway.

Acceler-8 will also affect local roads. The first bridge up for replacement is the one crossing Woodland Road near the Southborough-Ashland line. Traffic will detour around the closure, sending drivers either east to Oak Street in Ashland, or to Cordaville Road (also Route 85) and north to Route 9.

According to MassDOT, the temporary traffic restrictions will be worth it. Replacing so many freeway bridges over in such a short period is almost unheard of — you'd have to go back to the 2012 "Fast 14" bridge replacement project along I-93 — and will ultimately prevent longer backups due to construction.

"We’ve spent over two years developing the infrastructure that will make eight bridges in eight weekends possible," MassDOT said in a description of the Acceler-8 project. "Acceler-8 uses single-contractor design-build management and accelerated bridge construction (ABC) techniques pioneered on MassDOT’s Fast 14 project a decade ago, and most recently the Commonwealth Ave bridge replacement project."

The Woodland Road replacement begins at 7 p.m. Friday with the Mass Pike lane squeeze and the closure of local roads (Woodland will actually close around 4 p.m.). The roads will stay in that configuration until 5 a.m. Monday, according to MassDOT.

If all goes according to plan, Acceler-8 will wrap up by Aug. 16. Visit the MassDOT website for detailed maps on local detours and an overview of all the bridges set to be replaced.