MassDOT Highway Division Fore River Bridge Replacement Project

PROGRESS REPORT/THE VIEW AHEAD

This section of the website will be updated throughout the project to provide users with an approximate two-week preview of upcoming construction and changes to the way in which drivers experience moving through the project area. Unforeseen emergencies or weather events may have an impact on the schedule. This brief video provides a general sense of how the project will be constructed. The timeline shown in the film should be considered to be approximate. A general timeline of the project is also provided to give users a sense of how the job will unfold between now and 2016.

Users are reminded that no construction activities that will have an impact on traffic or the operation of the MBTA commuter ferry are planned for the immediate future. Please check this website for future updates. You may also wish to join our stakeholder database to receive project information. A project hotline (617-504-2924) is available for members of the community with an immediate question or concern about a specific construction activity at the Fore River site. This telephone number is staffed whenever construction activities are in progress.

Construction Underway

As of the week of April 22, 2013 construction is underway on the Fore River Bridge Replacement Project with installation of the permanent replacement bridge foundation components moving ahead. The project's current focus is on the installation of the drilled shafts associated with the new bridge's towers. Templates for the installation of drilled shafts on the Quincy and Weymouth sides of the Fore River have been completed. At the Fore River Shipyard, work on the reinforcing cages which will be placed inside the drilled shafts is underway. Permanent drilled shaft casings for both Quincy and Weymouth towers are being installed by vibratory methods.

Work is also underway on dolphin and fender construction. Dolphin and fender installation will include repurposing crews already on the job and does not include expansion of the forces on site. Area residents are reminded that worker parking has been provided at 40 Cleverly Court, in the Fore River shipyard or elsewhere within the MassDOT right-of-way or easements. As such, worker parking will not impact public streets now or at any point during the project.

Description	To enlarge, click on the picture
The photograph at right shows work on all 12 drilled shafts for the future Quincy tower at various stages of installation. The drilled shafts are key components of the new bridge's foundations.
At right, users can see the progress being made on the Weymouth side of the river. This photograph shows current progress on the permanent casing installation.
In this view, users can see work in the Fore River shipyard related to bridge construction. To minimize neighborhood and traffic impacts, the project team is using the shipyard for transporting materials by water to the job site whenever possible. On the left side of this picture, viewers can see a Manitowoc 999 crane currently on a barge in the shipyard's wet basin. The 999 will be used to set the dolphin templates and sheeting that will protect the new bridge structure. At right is a Grove RT 750 which is being used to assemble the rebar (reinforcing bar) cages that will be used to reinforce the drilled shafts that make up the bridge's foundations. At the center of the photograph, rebar cage assembly is ongoing.

The current phase of work includes the installation of new drilled shafts for the replacement bridge. Anticipated work hours for the current phase are 7AM to 10PM. In addition to the information provided on this page, the project team has provided a 3-week schedule for the period from April 17 to May 10. Users are reminded that this schedule is meant to be a flexible planning document and is subject to change based on: job site conditions, delivery schedules, ongoing design efforts, and conditions beyond the control of the project team such as extreme weather.

As the job progresses, and larger permanent bridge components begin arriving at the site, the project team expects to take advantage of deliveries by water and rail to help minimize neighborhood and traffic impacts. However, some materials are arriving at the work site on trucks. These vehicles will travel via Route 3, and depending on the time of day Howard Street, East Howard Street, and South Street or Union Street, Quincy Avenue and East Howard Street to Route 3A. This is the only anticipated traffic impact associated with this phase of construction.

Motorists are reminded that partial closures of the temporary bridge associated with the structure's maintenance will continue throughout the construction period, but are independent of the construction process.