Harrison Street Bridge Over I-290 To Close For One Week In Worcester

WORCESTER, MA — Worcester officials are warning drivers to prepare for major traffic disruptions tied to ongoing reconstruction work on the Harrison Street bridge over Interstate 290, including a weeklong closure of Harrison Street at the bridge and several overnight highway lane shutdowns.

The City of Worcester this week released an updated construction schedule for Stage 1 bridge beam installation work as part of the larger Harrison Street and Laurel Street bridge reconstruction project being overseen by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, or MassDOT.

According to the city, Harrison Street at the bridge will be fully closed beginning Friday, May 8, at 7 a.m. and will remain closed until approximately 7 a.m. Friday, May 15. Officials said pedestrian access across the bridge will remain open during the closure period.

The city also said the bridge is currently operating as one-way traffic only while construction continues.

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In addition to the local street closure, the I-290 westbound Exit 18 off-ramp to Harrison Street will also close during the work period, though access to Water Street from the ramp will remain open.

City officials said contractors will begin mobilizing heavy equipment Friday, including a crane on the west side of the bridge and trailers carrying steel beams that will be installed during overnight operations.

Additional overnight highway impacts are scheduled throughout the following week.

Beginning after 10 p.m. Sunday, May 10, the two right lanes on I-290 westbound will close, along with Exits 17 and 18. The two left lanes on I-290 eastbound will also close, according to the advisory.

Starting at midnight Monday, May 11, State Police will conduct rolling roadblocks on both sides of I-290 while bridge beams are lifted and secured into place. Traffic will periodically reopen between beam placements, with all lanes expected to fully reopen by 5 a.m.

Officials said similar overnight traffic patterns are expected Monday night and again from Tuesday night through Thursday night, May 12-14, while crews continue beam installation work.

The city said Harrison Street is expected to reopen around 7 a.m. Friday, May 15, after the cranes are removed from the work site.

The Harrison Street bridge work is part of a larger MassDOT reconstruction project involving both the Harrison Street and Laurel Street bridges over I-290. According to MassDOT, the approximately $19.9 million project includes bridge replacement work, structural repairs, ADA accessibility upgrades, sidewalk reconstruction and roadway improvements.

• Laurel Street Bridge Reopens As MassDOT Project Moves Forward

Patch previously reported on related phases of the project, including the reopening of the Laurel Street bridge earlier this year as construction activity shifted toward Harrison Street.

MassDOT project details are available online here.

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