Mass Pike Squeeze Coming This Weekend: MassDOT

FRAMINGHAM, MA — You might want to avoid a large swath of the Mass Pike this weekend — and possibly until mid-August.

Beginning Friday night, MassDOT will reduce the eastbound and westbound lanes from three to two between Framingham and I-495. The squeeze will be a trial run for a larger project to replace eight bridges over I-90 later this summer.

MassDOT is warning of potential slowdowns during the test this weekend, which will also see the westbound lanes shifted onto the east side of the interstate. Traffic patterns will return to normal on Sunday around 5 a.m., according to MassDOT.

"Westbound (WB) traffic will be shifted through a median crossover to the I-90 eastbound (EB) side," the state said in a bulletin this week. "A concrete median barrier will be put in place to protect WB travelers from EB travelers. There will be advance signage in place to alert drivers to the configuration change."

The weekend lane closures will set the table for MassDOT's "Acceler-8" project. Beginning June 18, crews will begin replacing eight bridges over the Mass Pike in Westborough and Southborough. This weekend's traffic pattern will be repeated over eight weekends through Aug. 16, according to the state.

There will also local closures off the highway affecting roadways in Ashland, Hopkinton, Southborough and Route 85.

This weekend's trial lane squeeze is weather-dependent. Current forecasts call for clear skies and high temperatures all weekend, according to the National Weather Service. If rain does appear, the lane shift will take place Saturday night into Monday morning.