I-93 Bridge Repairs: Highway Reopening Pushed To Thursday

MEDFORD, MA — Temporary repairs are being made to stabilize the Roosevelt Circle overpass above I-93 South after it was struck by a tractor-trailer Monday afternoon. Two lanes will remain closed until these repairs are completed, which is now expected to happen sometime Thursday, MassDOT said.

Inspectors found extensive damage to the outside beam on the Roosevelt Circle eastbound overpass, over the right two lanes on I-93 South. The beam and a 7-foot section of bridge deck will need to be demolished to allow traffic to be fully restored on I-93, Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said Tuesday.

Permanent repairs will force long-term delays on the overpass, which will extend through Roosevelt Circle and to Route 1 South, Route 16, Route 28, Gulliver said.

"Our first priority is to safely stabilize the structure, which is underway," Gulliver said. "Drivers are urged to avoid the area and consider public transportation options until I-93 southbound can be fully reopened. Travelers who use Roosevelt Circle should expect restricted lanes for several months until permanent repairs can be made."

The phased demolition plan will allow two travel lanes to be maintained at all time on I-93 South in Medford. An area within the inner part of the Roosevelt Circle rotary will remain closed until demolition is complete.

There are no travel impacts to the northbound side of the highway.

Eastbound bridge traffic is being directed as follows:

• Eastbound bridge traffic is directed onto the ramp on the west side of the rotary at the point of closure.
• This ramp leads to the Fellsway, (Route 28), southbound and to I-93 southbound.
• Drivers seeking to access I-93 northbound or the Fellsway northbound can make that connection by continuing on to I-93 southbound and then immediately exiting at Route 60 and using the rotary interchange to reverse.

Drivers who regularly use I-93 South in Medford are encouraged to take public transportation. The MBTA Commuter Rail Station at Anderson in Woburn, at 100 Atlantic Avenue, has parking and the trip on the commuter rail from Anderson to North Station generally takes 25 minutes: https://www.mbta.com/stops/pla...

Other MBTA options, including schedules for the Lowell Commuter Rail and the Blue Line from Wonderland, can be found at: www.mbta.com.

State police cited the driver of the tractor-trailer $210 for being over height and violating a Department of Transportation permit.

The 2013 Peterbilt 367 truck crashed into the overpass around 3:20 p.m. Monday. The truck is owned by Dove Transportation of Lincoln, Alabama and was driven by a 57-year-old Alabama man, with a 54-year-old Alabama woman as a passenger, police said.

The woman was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital with minor injuries.

State police said the truck was hauling a water clarifying tank, which measured 9 inches above the maximum height permitted. The driver also did not have flag cars, in violation of his permit, and deviated from his scheduled route, which did not include I-93, police said.

The tank hit the first and second structural beams on the underside of the bridge, splitting the first beam in two and leaving the second bowed, police said. The tank and the trailer also sustained significant damage.

Previously: Truck Driver Cited In Crash That Damaged I-93 Bridge