Every day, commuters and residents pass through the heavily trafficked intersection of Route 2 and Route 16 in great numbers, often leading to considerable congestion. Plans to improve the intersection have been designed, funded, and the initial phases of roadwork have begun, with work planned to continue throughout the summer and fall. The project aims to improve traffic flow and expand capacity.
Improvements will be made in a number of areas, including traffic signals, drainage, and roadway widening (adding lanes). There will be periodic detours while construction is underway, although they will be limited to off-peak nighttime hours (starting between 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. and completing around 5:00 a.m.) Sundays through Thursdays to ensure traffic levels will not be exacerbated during times when traffic flow is heaviest. Plans for the detours are included in the charts for the plan, which you can link to below,
Work schedules for this type of project often change as construction proceeds. The rough schedule for work over the coming months is:
May – July: Installing new drainage and working on traffic signal improvements
July – August: Installing conduits, hand holes and street lighting
August – October: Resetting curbing, minor roadway widening, and wheelchair ramps
October: Paving
November – April: Loaming, seeding, planting, etc. during the fall planting season
If you would like a more technical look at the project, feel free to take a look at the plans or to visit the project page on the MassDOT website. There will be a community meeting at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16th in the cafeteria of 60 Acorn Park in Cambridge. Parking will be available, and there is pedestrian access from Alewife Station.
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