Overview
I-195 carries over 75,000 vehicles daily from Route 140 to the I-195/Route 18 Interchange. Almost 36,000 vehicles daily use Route 18 between Coggeshall Street and Weld Street. Bicycle and pedestrian traffic interact with the interchange on adjoining local roads. The project area ramps carry almost 50,000 vehicles on and off the I-195 interchange per day.
MassDOT will rehabilitate the elevated portions of the interchange on I‐195 in New Bedford that spans from County Street until just beyond the Route 18‐ Exit 15 /Acushnet Avenue Interchange. Portions of the structure will be replaced in kind. Other portions will be placed on retained earth structures. To ensure the safety of this critical connection, the project will address both structural and safety issues.
The team will work with the City of New Bedford, abutting residents, roadway users and other stakeholders. They will develop a construction plan that minimizes and mitigates temporary construction impacts.
Background
The Route I-195 to Route 18 Interchange runs through a dense neighborhood. Homes, businesses, and the Hayden-McFadden School abutt the structure. Parking lots and an informal skate park are located directly beneath it.
To gather input and plan to mitigate impacts associated with the project we will:
- Conduct public outreach and community engagement
- Environmental justice analysis
- Structural and survey analysis
- Internal and interagency coordination
Schedule and Process
The team has been working through preliminary design and will be holding an initial Public Information Meeting. The 25% Progress Plans will be submitted in preparation for the Design Public Hearing (25% DPH), currently scheduled for Winter 2019. Following the DPH and internal review, the team will refine the plans to Final Design, and work to integrate public and internal comments to the extent workable. MassDOT’s goal is to advertise the project for construction bidding in early 2023.
A plan for public outreach during the construction period has been developed in alignment with a MassDOT project of this size and scope.
Construction and Traffic Management
The proposed improvements focus on replacing and rehabilitating the 15‐span elevated section of interstate Route I-195, as well as the elevated sections of Ramps C and F.
The bridge work will be a combination of superstructure replacement /substructure rehabilitation, and structure removal to be replaced by retained earth walls and earth embankment. We will also build a new retaining wall along Cedar Grove Street to contain fill associated with the added lane introduced between Ramps C and D, offering an opportunity for aesthetic improvements.
All four through lanes on the mainline will be open throughout construction.
We expect construction to include:
- Mitigation and control of temporary construction impacts to residents and abutters, such as dust and noise
- Traffic diversions and detours, including ramp closures, for extended construction periods
- We expect temporary easements and occupation of City Rights‐of‐Way for construction operations
- Night and possible weekend work as a way to shorten construction
The public outreach process will seek to illuminate concerns, ideas, and other impacting variables. We want to hear from you.
Getting Involved
Media notification will be supplemented and enhanced by direct outreach within the project area and through alternative methods such as materials placed on Southeastern Regional Transit Authority buses on the route passing through the interchange.
If your neighborhood organization, advocacy group, or other community organization would like to request a briefing, please send an email to Nathaniel Cabral-Curtis.