Mass. DOT Schedules Weekend Diversions In October, November For Route 28 Bridge Work In Andover

ANDOVER, MA -- The Massachusetts Department of Transportation released a schedule for "weekend diversions" around the $7 million, North Main Street bridge replacement project. While the department has been able to keep one lane of traffic open in each direction during the weekday portions of work, the weekend work will result in diverting MBT railroad traffic that travels under the bridge spanning a busy stretch of Route 28 in Andover.

The first diversion will be on October 21 and 22 from 6 am to 6 pm on each day. During this phase, workers will remove concrete decking, install new form work and reinforcing steel, and install temporary column supports. The second diversion will begin at midnight on November 4 and run through 4:30 am on November 6. During that diversion, crews will perform the phase one demolition work.

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The project has been broken into two phases so that a portion of the bridge can remain open during reconstruction and limit the impact on residents and commuters. The project is one of the last in MassDOT's accelerated bridge replacement program. The current phase is expected to continue through the winter, and the second phase will begin next spring.

The project was contracted to MAS Building and Bridge Inc. and includes The project includes replacement of the southern abutment/pier and portions of the northern abutment. The superstructure will be replaced with a steel stringer bridge, with a permanent utility bridge to carry all utilities.
More than 25,000 cars use the stretch of road on a daily basis. Final landscaping and utility work is expected to continue through next summer, according to MassDOT.

Patch file photo by Dave Copeland.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).