Route 9 Flooding Fix Still A Few Years Away, MassDOT Says

FRAMINGHAM, MA — It happened again on Monday morning: Route 9 in Framingham flooded underneath the Route 126 overpass during heavy rains, thinning the highway to one lane in each direction.

That part of Route 9 has flooded countless times before, and will likely continue to flood in the coming years. A planned overhaul of the intersection may not be complete for about three years, even after outcry from local and state lawmakers over the summer.

In July, state Reps. Maria Robinson, Carmine Gentile and Jack Lewis, Senate President Karen Spilka, Mayor Yvonne Spicer and District 5 Councilor Robert Case wrote a joint letter to MassDOT Secretary Stephanie Pollack and Gov. Charlie Baker urging a rapid fix for the flood-prone road.

"Needless to say, Route 9 in Framingham is a busy area, one with which you are presumably familiar due to its proximity to the state police headquarters and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency's headquarters," the letter read.

To fix the flooding problem, MassDOT has to install new detention basins on either side of the intersection. But to do that, the agency has to move a salt shed that sits at the southwest side of the intersection.

In a July 23 letter back to the Framingham delegation, Pollack promised MassDOT would clean the existing drain system before storms, but didn't promise a quick fix.

The state will seek bids for the removal and reconstruction of the salt shed in 2021, but shovels won't hit the ground until 2022, Pollack said in her reply. With the new salt shed in place, MassDOT will seek bids for the new drain system in 2022, with completion sometime in 2023.

The delegation had also asked MassDOT to install flashing lights at the Route 126 overpass to warn drivers about flooding — Pollack said the agency would review if such signage would be "effective and feasible."

"MassDOT agrees that this matter is of significant concern and we are working to respond accordingly," Pollack wrote. "Our maintenance forces are actively cleaning catch basins and removing road debris in advance of storms. However, the existing storm water drainage system is inadequate and has been overwhelmed by the more intense storms that we have experiencing in the past several months and years."