Over the next two weeks, drivers should expect lane closures on the highway, bridges, and on/off ramps; rolling roadblocks; and road closures within the work zones along the MassPike and I-95 highways. On Friday, May 2nd and Saturday, May 3rd, I-90 will be reduced down to 1 lane in each direction from 9 PM to 7 AM for a dry run of zipper barrier traffic pattern for upcoming superstructure replacement weekends.

Mayor Ruthanne Fuller sent out her weekly newsletter, and this past week she asked that Newton residents mark their calendars. The weekends of Friday, May 30 to Monday, June 2 and Friday, June 20 to Monday, June 23 are expected to be literal traffic nightmares for drivers in and around the City of Newton.

During each weekend, from 9:00 p.m. on Friday until 5:00 a.m. on Monday, only one lane of traffic in each direction will be open on the MassPike in a section of Newton. MassDOT is replacing the bridges on the MassPike over the MBTA commuter rail line in Newton near the interchange with I-95.

Newton is the “gridlock” epicenter. Backups on the MassPike are expected to be 2-3 hours with drivers using a lot of other roads to attempt to avoid the backups. Expect long delays on the back roads of Newton.

And because the bridges that are being reconstructed pass over the MBTA commuter rail line, all MBTA commuter rail and Amtrak Lake Shore Limited trains will be replaced by bus service between these Friday nights and Monday mornings.