REGION – Work has continued on the Route 495/Massachusetts Turnpike project in Hopkinton and Westborough.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Transportation has scheduled a public meeting for Wednesday, May 8, to provide updates on the improvement project.
The interchange upgrades at Route 495 and the turnpike will help reduce crashes in the project area; reduce recurring congestion; reduce queuing that currently extends from the interchange onto 495 and the turnpike; and reduce travel time.
According to the department, more than 100,000 vehicles travel on both the Turnpike and Route 495, with 75,000 through the interchange, including approximately half of all trucking entering eastern Massachusetts.
Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2027.
Work continues on the following parts of the project:
Bridge Work – Fruit Street over Route 495; over the MBTA corridor; Route 495 over the Turnpike; and Route 495 over Flanders Road.
Bridge work includes constructing footings, abutments, piers, bridge decks, barriers, approach slabs and mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining walls.
Work continues in the I-495 median in preparation to move the southbound barrel into a temporary alignment to allow construction of the permanent southbound alignment.
Ramp Work to and from Route 495 – eastbound to southbound; southbound to eastbound; westbound to northbound; and westbound to southbound.
Ramp work includes clearing and grubbing, excavation, base course installation, pier construction, dewatering, MSE wall construction, coffer dam installation and permanent pile installation.
The westbound to northbound ramp trestle has been completed. The trestle will be used as a platform from which to construct the ramp, and will be removed at the completion of the construction of the ramp.
Upcoming work will include continued median, bridge and ramp construction; demolition of portions of the I-495 bridges over the MBTA corridor and the Turnpike; construction of median crossovers to access the temporary southbound alignment; Sections of the Turnpike over the MBTA bridge – demolition and construction in the upcoming months.
For more information about the meeting, please visit https://www.mass.gov/i-495i-90-interchange-improvements.
