Meeting on Route 18 Project planned for October 5th at Weymouth High School
Weymouth, MA – Mayor Robert Hedlund announced today that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) will hold a public informational meeting on Thursday, October 5th, 2017, for the Route 18 Widening Project. The purpose of this meeting is to provide an opportunity for residents to become fully acquainted with the project and to present an overview of the construction schedule. The MassDOT’s Highway District 6 Construction division and its contractor, P. Gioioso & Sons, Inc. of Hyde Park, will lead the meeting and respond to questions regarding the upcoming construction phase. The meeting will begin at 6:30 pm at Weymouth High School’s Mary Jo Livingstone Humanities Center (One Wildcat Way).
The MassDOT’s Route 18 Widening Project consists of reconstructing and widening the state highway from Highland Place in Weymouth to Route 139 in Abington, including reconstructing four existing intersections and replacing the Route 18 Bridge, which carries traffic over the MBTA Commuter Rail Kingston/Plymouth Line. The roadway widening will provide an additional travel lane in each direction, eliminating bottleneck areas where the highway currently transitions from four lanes down to two lanes after major intersections.
The project will address traffic congestion, intersection upgrades, and traffic signals, as well as improve the roadway surface and curbing conditions. The proposed roadway cross section consists of four 11.5-foot travel lanes, two 5-foot shoulders, and two 5.5-foot sidewalks. Shared accommodations for all users, including bicyclists and pedestrians, will be installed in accordance with applicable MassDOT Complete Streets guidelines. The project aims to support economic development along Route 18 as well as at Union Point.
Construction is set to begin this fall, with expected completion in 2022. At least one lane will be maintained in each direction during construction, and a temporary alignment will be installed to carry vehicles while the existing Route 18 Bridge is being replaced. During three off-peak weekends, a detour of Route 18 traffic using Pond Street in Weymouth will be required to slide the new bridge superstructure onto its final supports. Buses will replace commuter rail trains on the Kingston/Plymouth Line during this time.
In addition to using accelerated construction techniques, the MassDOT is incorporating incentives and disincentives into the project contract in order to ensure timely completion of project milestones. These measures are intended to help minimize the impact on the traveling public during work operations.