MassDOT warns commuters of delays as Comm. Ave. Bridge Project picks up

Detours are in place as commuters prepare to navigate through major delays in their Monday commutes due to the Comm. Ave. Bridge Project.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation warned drivers on Sunday about the potential for massive traffic as the westbound side of the bridge is replaced, saying to avoid driving into the city if possible.

"If you don't have to come into the city, you shouldn't," MassDOT Highway Administrator John Gulliver said. "Do whatever you can to avoid the region if you do have to come in."

Gulliver said commuting into Boston on Monday morning will be difficult, as the Mass. Pike will only have two lanes open, rather than four, on both sides of the commute.

"That's a very big reduction in the ability to come in and out of the city," Gulliver said.

>>MORE: A guide to the Comm. Ave. bridge project and its traffic impacts

Gulliver said the Boston University Bridge and Comm. Ave. Bridge will both be closed, along with many surrounding streets.

In addition to those closures, the Green Line will also have restricted service, with many of its routes diverted to bus service.

"Whether you bike, whether you walk, whether you ride by car, whether you take transit, whether you take the commuter rail in, whatever it is, you can expect that you might run into some sort of diversion," Gulliver said.

Gulliver said drivers can expect at least a 45-minute delay to their normal traffic into Boston, providing a headache for commuters for the next couple of weeks.

He said, however, that the headaches are all necessary in order to replace the Comm. Ave. Bridge as quickly as possible.

"This bridge here that we’re dealing with here, the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge, is a structurally deficient bridge," Gulliver said. "It’s near the end of its lifespan."

Gulliver said the Mass. Pike will be even more restricted during off-peak hours and overnight.

I-90 will be reduced to one lane heading into the city, and just two lanes heading out during the off hours.

Most of the construction is expected to wrap up by August 11.

>>MORE: Construction along Comm. Ave. to impact traffic until mid-August

Cox Media Group