Ariel view of I-90 Allston interchange with project area highlighted. Source: MassDOTA plan to rebuild the Allston Interchange on the Massachusetts Turnpike could cost $1.2 billion with work starting in 2020, The Boston Globe reports.
The project, on Interstate 90 between Boston University and the Charles River, is needed to replace the deteriorated Allston viaduct, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation says. The bridge has average daily traffic volume of 144,000 vehicles a day, according to MassDOT.
The entire interchange, built in the 1960s to extend the turnpike to downtown Boston, also needs to be reconstructed and is part of a plan to convert the turnpike to all electronic tolling at highway speeds, MassDOT says.
The project includes the following, according to MassDOT:
- Replacing the I-90 Allston Viaduct.
- Realigning and straightening I-90.
- Connecting roads between Cambridge Street and I-90.
MassDOT says it spends about $800,000 a year to maintain the viaduct.
“The time has come to move this project forward through the design phase so it can be rebuilt,” says MassDOT Chief Highway Engineer Patricia Leavenworth.
Three design options are being considered for the project, with the preliminary design to be completed in 2019.
