Route 128 Shutting Down for Highland Avenue Bridge Demolition

NEEDHAM, MA — Think traffic can get bad on Route 128? It's about to get worse for a weekend in November.

In an unprecedented move, a portion of the highway will be closed from late evening Nov. 4 to Nov. 6 to allow for the demolition of the Highland Avenue Bridge in Needham, according to the Boston Globe. Traffic will be detoured onto local roads.

Transportation officials say the only other time they can recall closing a highway for non-emergency reasons is the Big Dig.

The bridge was built in 1931 and reconstructed in 1953. The demolition is part of the completion of the 2003 Add-A-Lane project which adds a new lane to a 15 miles of highway.

Replacing the bridge will be a new steel-and-concrete bridge that sits next to the old one.

Image via Shutterstock