Route 16 Traffic Being Shifted to New Lanes

Route 16 westbound traffic between Santilli Circle and Wellington Circle will be shifted to the newly constructed lanes on the northerly side of the bridge, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced Tuesday.

The shift will take effect Thursday, Dec. 29 at 4 a.m.

The traffic shift of the three travel lanes will allow for Stage 2 Construction on the Route 16 Bridges over the Malden River, MBTA Orange Line, Commuter Rail and Rivers Edge Drive, MassDOT said in a release.

A nor'easter is scheduled to hit the area Thursday and could delay plans.

Editor's note: As someone who drives this stretch every morning ... I actually think it's been handled pretty well so far. Looks awful, but not much of an additional slowdown. What do you think?