Route 128 Needham Bridge Demolition 'Ahead Of Schedule'
NEEDHAM (CBS) – Travel was challenging on Saturday night for Route 128 southbound drivers, but delays came after crews made more progress than expected earlier in the day.
Bridge demolition that shut down Route 128 North in Needham Friday night was finished ahead of schedule. On Saturday night, crews shut down the southbound side of the highway to finish up the work.
MassDOT construction crews finished demolition of the Highland Avenue Bridge over the northbound side of Route 128/Interstate 95 just before noon on Saturday after beginning work around 9 p.m. the night before. Detours began at 8 p.m. on Saturday on the soutbound side.
Drivers seemed to be coping with the re-route well.
"It's worked a bit better than I thought because I think they finished the construction earlier than they thought," one driver said. "I've been amazed actually"
"It's a mess, but it wasn't that bad," another driver said.
For local drivers, the project caused more of a snare. Drivers couldn't get from one side of Highland Avenue to the other, depending on a series of detours.
"It's a tremendous amount of traffic," another driver said. "It's going to take a long time to get home tonight."
The project is scheduled to be completed by Sunday night and the Monday morning commute is not expected to be impacted.
Drivers are asked to seek alternative routes this weekend to minimize delays.
