Commonwealth Avenue Bridge

Constructed circa 1965, the bridge superstructure was in poor condition and in need of replacement. The project replaced the entire superstructure of the bridge.

The galvanizer was able to meet the time requirements and turn steel around as required.

Conventional bridge replacement techniques would have extended construction four to five years and would have resulted in greater traffic and transit impacts. Because of the extremely high usage of the bridge, MassDOT employed multiple crews working on a 24/7 basis to remove and replace the existing bridge, while maintaining traffic flow on the Massachusetts Turnpike below with lane reductions. A major consideration was the ability of the various trades to provide the turnaround that was required.

The contractor had a two-week window to remove the travel restrictions on the bridge, Massachusetts Turnpike, MBTA commuter line, and bicyclists & pedestrians using the bridge to get to the adjacent Boston University campus. The galvanizer was able to meet the time requirements and turn steel around as required!