Overview
Work is currently underway on an approximately $128 million- project for Tobin Bridge – the last of four safety projects to repair steel, remove old paint and repaint the bridge. Work includes:
- Putting up temporary protective shielding/work platforms
- Cleaning steel, removing old paint, and repainting
- Making repairs to existing steel superstructure elements and substructure concrete elements
The contract requires many monitoring and mitigation measures for air quality, lead paint, soil, noise, and dust. Impacts to traffic will be limited with no permanent lane closures and limited impacts to adjacent roadways.
Project activities
The following is summary of recently completed and ongoing construction activities:
- Route 1 Southbound: Implementation of temporary traffic controls – Phase II (East Side) barrier wall removal (high-speed side) has been completed. Phase III (Everett Ramp) barrier wall removal has also been completed.
- Route 1 Southbound: Removal of old coatings has been completed for Phase I (West Side), Phase II (East Side), and Phase III (Everett Ramp). Containment tarps have been removed, and the bridge is now showing the newly painted finish coat.
- Steel repairs are ongoing through the 2026 season
- Safety walk repairs are ongoing.
- Route 1 Northbound: Phase II (East Side) and Phase III (Beacon Ramp) barrier wall removals have been completed.
- Route 1 Northbound: Removal of old coatings has been completed for Phase I (West Side), Phase II (East Side), and Phase III (Beacon Ramp). Containment tarps have been removed, and the bridge is showing the newly painted finish coat.
- Substructure repairs are ongoing through the 2026 season.
Traffic impacts
- Impacts to traffic on the Tobin Bridge will be limited with only lane closures during off-peak hours during the day and night shifts.
- Closures will occur weekly, Monday through Friday, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the southbound direction (upper deck) and single lane closure in the northbound direction (lower deck) from 6:00 a.m., to 2 p.m.
- There will also be a nightly lane closure in the southbound direction (upper deck).
- These closures will be coordinated with other construction projects in the area.
- Local closures will be coordinated with the City of Chelsea and should be minimal.
City of Chelsea Traffic Information
Details on any local lane closures in the City of Chelsea can also be found online.
Related work
Beginning July 14, 2025, MassDOT will be working overnight to renovate the Webster Avenue Bridge in Chelsea.
The work is scheduled to take approximately two to three months to complete. To ensure worker safety and keep the project on schedule, Webster Avenue may at times operate as a single-lane road between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
During these times, drivers coming from the Route 1 off-ramp to Jefferson Avenue will not be able to turn left onto Route 16/Webster Avenue. Instead, they will need to turn right onto Webster Avenue toward Home Depot and Broadway.
The work includes cleaning steel, removing old paint, and repainting the bridge.