Boston

Additional Lane Closures on Tobin Bridge Begin, Tough Commute Into Boston Anticipated

The additional closures will last from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. through November

Commuters who depend on the Tobin Bridge to get into Boston are warned that traffic is expected to increase for several months in the area as crews work on a rehabilitation project on the bridge.

This comes as part of a project aimed to restore the 60-year-old bridge. The effort began in April after officials determined the bridge to be "structurally deficient."

"These closures are necessary to minimize the length of closures and construction, and reduce impacts like noise and night-work, for required maintenance and structural rehabilitation of Route 1 and the Tobin Bridge," the Department of Transportation said.

Beginning Tuesday, additional lane closures on the bridge will take effect. One lane will be closed on Route 1 south in Chelsea. Crews will begin to expand a Route 1 north lane.

The closures will last from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. through November. 

Increased delays were anticipated, and commuters certainly felt a difference Tuesday morning.

"Was coming from Somerville and I was heading to the Tobin to go downtown. It was pretty bad," Somerville resident Giovanni Maione said.

Maione said he sat in traffic for about half an hour.

"It's an old bridge," Chelsea resident Nick Golben said. "So I think, you know, the whole refurbishing our infrastructure, probably yeah, that's a necessary thing to do."

Not only will motorists be affected, but bus passengers will feel the impact, too. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority warns commuters who take the 111, 426 and 428 buses to seek alternative routes.

Completion of the entire Tobin Bridge restoration project is expected to last through 2021.

For a look at traffic, click here.

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