NEWTON, Mass. — State transportation officials are urging drivers to steer clear of the Massachusetts Turnpike this weekend because more lane closures will be in place to accommodate the second phase of a major construction project.
Both sides of Interstate 90, between exits 123 and 125 in Newton and Weston, will be reduced to one lane starting at 9:00 p.m. on Friday through 5:00 a.m. on Monday, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
The lane closures are necessary for crews to complete demolition of the existing I-90 bridge over the MBTA railroad near the Route 128 interchange, Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver told Boston 25 News in an interview on Friday morning.
Gulliver said the project could result in major delays if drivers don’t avoid the area.
“If everybody shows up who normally shows up, you’re looking at up to three to four hours of delays,” Gulliver warned. “We really want to avoid that, and we’re looking for people to just not be on the roadway if they don’t have to be.”
During the first phase of the project, Gulliver said drivers heeded MassDOT’s warning and stayed away for the most part.
“People took our warning and they avoided the area. It worked out exactly as we had hoped,” Gulliver said. “It crept up to about an hour of delay on Saturday, the last time we did this a couple of weeks ago. We’re hoping for the same thing.”
Gulliver urged anyone who has to drive through the area to utilize mapping apps to find the most efficient routes.
The work will also require a weekend shutdown of MBTA Commuter Rail service on the Framingham-Worcester line between South Station and Framingham, and Amtrak service between Boston and Albany.
As for future projects impacting weekend traffic, Gulliver said this is it for the summer.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
