Route 9 Full Closure Is This Week In Natick

NATICK, MA — A brief traffic headache this week will result in the completion of a long-awaited pedestrian pathway connecting some of the MetroWest region's biggest attractions.

Starting Thursday night at 10 p.m., Route 9 will close in both directions in Natick while MassDOT crews work on the demolition of an old rail bridge across the highway. The work is in service of completing a 2-1/2 mile section of the Cochituate Rail Trail, which, when complete in 2021, will connect Saxonville in Framingham to the downtown Natick area.

MassDOT began work on demolishing the CSX bridge just west of Bernardi Honda on Dec. 2. Detours are in place between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. each day. The full closure will affect the stretch of Route 9 between Route 27 and Speen Street.

The first 1-1/2 mile leg of the Cochituate Rail Trail in Framingham opened five years ago and spans Route 30 to School Street in Saxonville. The new stretch in Natick will pick up at Home Depot along Route 30 and run to North Main Street. A spur will connect trail-users to the Natick Mall.

MassDOT will replace the CSX bridge with a new pedestrian bridge. The state will also build a bridge over Route 30, and that work is set to begin in spring.

The one-night closure of Route 9 lasts from 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. on Dec. 13 to 14. The work is weather-dependent.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the closure date.