Route 128 North To Close In Peabody Stretch Overnight Thursday

PEABODY, MA — Drivers traveling on Route 128 northbound and southbound through the North Shore Thursday night should anticipate rolling lane closures with a temporary complete shutdown of the highway for about 20 minutes early Friday morning.

The state Department of Transportation said the lane closures will occur in the Peabody stretch from Exit 39 to Exit 40A beginning at 8 p.m. Thursday and lasting until 5 a.m. on Friday. Between 1 and 4 a.m. Friday there will be a complete closure of the highway for a minimum of 20 minutes.

The temporary lane closures are necessary to allow the contractor to install a VMS (variable-message sign) structure safely and effectively at this location. The full highway closure is to allow for the placement of an overhead VMS sign and structure.

Drivers traveling through the affected areas should expect delays, reduce speed and use caution. Work is subject to weather conditions.

The work is being conducted as part of a $3.1 million project for Intelligent Transportation Systems improvements throughout District 4.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)