Overnight ramp closures coming July 27 to Aug. 1 at busy Mass Pike/I-495 interchange
Work will take place during the late evening starting on Sunday, July 27, and running until Friday, Aug. 1, according to a community announcement. Ramp closures start at 11 p.m. on each of those nights, with reopenings not occurring until 5 a.m. the following day.
During this period, several detours will be implemented to guide drivers around the construction, according to the announcement:
July 27: When the Interstate 90 (Exit 106) eastbound ramp to Interstate 495 is closed, traffic will be directed to follow the detour signs and use I-90 eastbound to Exit 111 (Route 9) to Route 9 westbound to access I-495.
July 28: When the I-90 (Exit 106) eastbound ramp to I-495 northbound is closed, traffic will be directed to follow the detour signs and use I-495 southbound to Exit 54A (West Main Street, Hopkinton), then reverse direction back to I-495 north.
July 29: When the I-90 (Exit 106) eastbound ramp to I-495 northbound is closed, traffic will be directed to follow the detour signs and use I-495 southbound to exit 54A (West Main Street, Hopkinton), then reverse direction back to I-495 northbound. When the I-495 (Exit 58) ramp to I-90 westbound is closed, traffic will be directed to follow the detour signs onto I-90 eastbound and use Exit 111 (Route 9) to reverse direction.
July 30: When the I-90 (Exit 106) eastbound ramp to I-495 northbound is closed, traffic will be directed to follow the detour signs and use I-495 southbound to exit 54A (West Main Street, Hopkinton), then reverse direction back to I-495 northbound. When the I-495 (Exit 58) ramp to I-90 westbound is closed, traffic will be directed to follow the detour signs onto I-90 eastbound and use Exit 111 (Route 9) in order to reverse direction.
July 31: When the I-90 (Exit 106) eastbound ramp to I-495 is closed, traffic will be directed to follow the detour signs and use I-90 eastbound to Exit 111 (Route 9) to Route 9 westbound to access I-495.
$466M project: Proposed reconstruction of Mass Pike, I-495 interchange takes step forward
Appropriate signage and law enforcement will be present to assist drivers, according to the announcement. Motorists should expect delays and are advised to reduce speed and exercise caution. All work is weather-dependent and may be altered due to emergencies.
For updates on traffic conditions, travelers can download the Mass511 mobile app or visit www.mass511.com, according to the announcement. They can also dial 511 for real-time conditions or follow @MassDOT on X for regular updates.
This story was created by reporter Beth McDermott, bmcdermott1@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Overnight work means detours at Mass Pike/Interstate-495 interchange
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
VW's PowerCo awards two contracts as it moves closer to building the St. Thomas EV battery manufacturing plant
PowerCo Canada Inc. awarded two major construction contracts for its massive electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in St. Thomas, Ont., on Thursday. The step by PowerCo, the Canadian subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group-owned battery company PowerCo SE, comes two years after Canada offered unprecedented conditions to attract the plant, but today the landscape for electric vehicles has shifted dramatically. PowerCo secured agreements for structural steel with Steelcon Group of Companies and vital foundation work with Magil Construction Canada Inc. The gigafactory is the German automaker's first EV battery plant in North America. 'Today's announcement marks another pivotal moment for the St. Thomas gigafactory, propelling the project into its next phase,' said Frank Blome, chief executive of PowerCo SE, in a press release. 'By leveraging innovative and skilled local expertise, St. Thomas will strengthen Canada's position in the global EV battery manufacturing industry.' This comes after a previous announcement from PowerCo in early August that it had launched a hiring campaign to fill positions for chemists, IT professionals, engineers and sustainability experts. Danny Bianco, president at Steelcon Group of Companies, said the project will support economic growth and local employment, with Steelcon planning to deploy a team of more than 500 Canadian employees, including more than 30 workers from the surrounding London and Southwestern Ontario region. Magil is slated to construct foundations for three buildings, encompassing a total floor area of 850,000 square feet at the St. Thomas site. 'The first concrete pour is anticipated in the coming weeks and will set the pace for the continued rapid progress to build the gigafactory,' the press release said. Batteries produced at the St. Thomas facility will be supplied for the North American EV market. However, it is still unclear how PowerCo and other companies will tackle substantial challenges swirling around the EV manufacturing space, from tariffs to dwindling demand from consumers. Statistics Canada data show sales of zero-emission vehicles were down 35 per cent in June, compared with the same month last year. 'Everybody, including the manufacturers, were anticipating that the uptake on pure battery electric vehicles was going to be more rapid than it has turned out to be in reality,' said David Adams, president and chief executive of Global Automakers of Canada. There are concerns surrounding the higher costs of these vehicles, as well as whether Canada has the necessary infrastructure for charging, while the unwinding of rebate programs by the federal government and British Columbia's provincial government means fewer incentives for potential buyers as well. 'Everybody's just hit the pause button on investment,' said Adams, adding that many sectors are waiting for the dust to settle and for some sort of trade agreement to form between Canada and the U.S. 'Uncertainty is never good for investment of any sort, but particularly in the automotive sector, where any investment is usually hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars.' In the case of PowerCo's EV battery plant, Adams noted the federal government has already made significant investments toward its completion. And in 2023, Ottawa agreed to give Volkswagen up to $13 billion in subsidies over the next decade, set to take effect when the battery plant begins production. Adams added that despite the ongoing economic turmoil, auto companies are still anticipating the industry is moving toward electrification and pure battery electric vehicles in the long term. 'While we are closely monitoring the current trade situation, this project is a strategic, long-term commitment with strong fundamentals,' said PowerCo Canada's chief procurement officer, Meredith Gibbons, in an email. 'We are confident in its potential to drive economic growth and create skilled jobs here in Ontario.' Gibbons said PowerCo remains on track for initial production to start in 2027, followed by a demand-based ramp up for commercial production. 'As we advance the gigafactory, we will ensure it continues to reflect the needs of Canadians and aligns with market demand,' she said. However, Andreas Schotter, a professor of international business at Western University's Ivey Business School who previously worked at Volkswagen, said he doesn't think 2027 is a realistic deadline for PowerCo's battery production to begin, noting the facility still needs its machines and time to train its workforce. VW hones in on manufacturing EV battery in Canada Porsche to cut 1,900 jobs in Germany Commenting before PowerCo's announcement, Schotter said the industry headwinds may make it difficult for the battery plant to get built at all, given industry headwinds. 'I don't think the U.S. policy at this point in time is favourable for more EV production and the consumers,' he said. 'We haven't seen the full effects of the tariff war in the U.S. yet.' Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Mass. drivers can save 40 cents per gallon of gas on Thursday at these 14 stations
Drivers across Massachusetts can save 40 cents per gallon of gas this week at more than a dozen stations. The discount is available to members of Circle K's free rewards program, Inner Circle, on Thursday from 6 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., according to the gas station and convenience store chain. Select locations nationwide are taking part in the deal. The 14 participating Massachusetts locations are as follows: 181 Pelham Street, Methuen 32 Knipe Road in Haverhill 24 Rocky Hill Road in Amesbury 448 Salem Street in Wakefield 323 Highland Avenue in Salem 14 West Broadway in Boston 1385 Pleasant Street in Bridgewater 47 Harding Street in Middleboro 4 Chace Road in Freetown 68 South Main Street in Freetown 1400 Russell Road in Westfield 1 Sunderland Road in Whately 1 Greenfield Road in South Deerfield 223 Mohawk Terrace in Greenfield To enjoy this exclusive offer, members must be fully registered and enter their associated phone number at the pump or register before the transaction. Not an Inner Circle member? You can sign up for FREE by downloading the Circle K app. To view a full list of participating locations across New England, click here. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Solve the daily Crossword
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Florida tragedy shows why Trump's trucking license crackdown is needed
A horrific crash on a Florida highway left three people dead and several more injured. The driver accused of causing it – an illegal immigrant who crossed the border in 2018 – should never have been behind the wheel of a commercial truck in the first place. This tragedy is not an isolated case. It highlights the deep flaws in how the federal government licenses and regulates commercial truck drivers, with lives on the line every single day. That's why President Donald Trump's order to review every non-domiciled commercial driver's license (CDL) issued in recent years is such an important step forward for highway safety. It represents a massive victory in the effort to prevent further senseless deaths caused by unqualified or improperly licensed truckers. President Trump and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy understand the current licensing system is broken and needs urgent reform. Not long ago, truckers were required to produce a birth certificate, speak English and confirm state residency before they could even qualify for a CDL. If a driver couldn't speak English, they couldn't even sit for the exam. But today, the requirements have been watered down: a work permit or foreign visa is enough to qualify for a non-domiciled CDL, regardless of whether the driver can read highway signs in English. The Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) was supposed to raise the bar in 2022 with its Entry Level Driver Training rules. Instead, those rules are riddled with loopholes. Employers, municipalities and online video providers masquerading as schools can "self-certify" commercial driver training – with virtually no oversight. As Teamsters President Sean O'Brien recently told the Senate Commerce Committee, a 16-year-old needs a licensed instructor to drive a sedan, but unqualified drivers are steering 80,000-pound trucks down America's highways with little oversight. The result is rampant fraud, unqualified drivers and unsafe highways. The statistics are sobering. Truck crashes killed 5,472 people in 2023, a 40% increase from 2014. That risk is only growing. Over 30,000 commercial driving schools are now "approved" by the FMCSA, but only about 2,100 are actually licensed by states. Large employers often reject nearly half of driver applicants because of strict safety standards, but 90% of the industry is made up of small operators with fewer than 10 trucks – companies that often lack compliance departments and hire from questionable schools. These are the companies behind so many of the fatal headlines we see each week. Even the American Trucking Association has warned that the FMCSA's rules are "insufficiently robust" to protect the public from fraudulent CDL mills. President Trump and Secretary Duffy's study, coupled with their executive order requiring English proficiency for truck drivers, could finally weed out unqualified operators – if enforced. Truck drivers are the backbone of our economy, moving 70% of all freight, keeping grocery shelves stocked, and ensuring medicine and fuel reach every community. They deserve strong standards, fair pay and a safe industry. That's why the trucking industry applauds President Trump and Secretary Duffy for taking action. But we cannot wait. With an average of 3,000 truck accidents and 100 fatalities every single week, America's highways are in urgent need of reform. The Florida tragedy should be a wake-up call: lax licensing standards and weak enforcement are costing American lives. It's time to shut down fraudulent training schools, enforce English proficiency requirements and restore integrity to the CDL system. Only then will we protect American drivers, American truckers, and the families who share the road with them every day.
