I-93 Route 16 Westbound Ramp to Close for 3 Years Due to Construction

The following announcement is from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation:

MassDOT is scheduled to close the I-93 Route 16 Westbound off ramp on Monday, June 29, at 7:00 AM to begin construction on the Cradock Bridge Project in Medford. The off ramp is scheduled to be closed for the duration of the project through approximately November 2018. Alternative travel information is currently available through posted detours signs, and strategically placed message boards.

Travel detour routes to the Medford area will be as follows:

– Mystic Avenue (Route 38) is the primary detour route for access to Medford Square.

– Vehicles traveling on Route 16 Westbound will have a signed detour route to Mystic Avenue, Route 38.

– Vehicles traveling on I-93 Northbound who are traveling to Medford Square will have a signed detour route to use Exit 29. Exit 29 is the exit for Mystic Avenue (Route 38) which travels directly into Medford Square.

In the event vehicles miss the primary detour route there will be detour signs for secondary detour routes. The secondary detour route for vehicles traveling on I93 will be to use Exit 32 to Salem Street (Route 60) which leads to Medford Square. The secondary detour route for vehicles traveling on Route 16 will be to take Winthrop Street to High Street.

Message boards have been posted to alert travelers to the upcoming ramp closure. There are two boards on I-93 Northbound and 2 boards on Route 16 Westbound. Additionally, there are four message boards located at Forest Street, High Street (Route 30), Main Street (Route 38) and Salem Street (Route 60) that provide notice for the beginning of bridge construction. There are some detour signs in place because of the soft closure that is currently in effect, and all the remaining detour signs ware scheduled to be uncovered right before the ramp is closed.

All signed detour routes to Riverside Avenue will be via the Main Street / Medford Square detour.

Drivers that must travel through the affected area should expect some delays and should reduce speed and use caution when approaching and traveling along the detour routes.

The work is part of a $12.784 million project to rehabilitate the bridge and is funded through the Accelerated Bridge Program. Construction of the bridge will be completed in multiple stages to accommodate two travel lanes in each direction during construction.

Editor’s note: MassDOT will be at Tuesday’s City Council meeting to provide more information. The meeting is taking place at 7 PM at Medford City Hall and will be broadcast live on Ch 22 (Comcast) & Ch 43 (Verizon).