>>> THE CRUMBLING I-91 VIADUCT THROUGH DOWNTOWN SPRINGFIELD, IN
FACT JUST ACROSS THE STREET FROM OUR STUDIOS, IS GETTING BADLY
NEEDED REPAIRS AND RECONSTRUCTION.
IT'S A HUGE, EXPENSIVE UNDERTAKING, SOMETIMES
DISRUPTING TRAVEL ON AND AROUND THE HIGHWAY.
CONNECTING POINT CORRESPONDENT CAROLEE McGRATH SPOKE WITH
RICHARD MASSE ABOUT THE SCOPE, IMPACT AND TIMELINE OF THE
PROJECT.
>> WE'RE UNDER CONSTRUCTION NOW TO REPLACE THE DECK OF THE
VIADUCT.
THAT IS THE ELEVATED BRIDGE STRUCTURE THAT RUNS THROUGH
DOWNTOWN BASICALLY FROM STATE STREET FOR THE MIDDLE OF THE
I-9291 INTERCHANGE.
I-91 WAS OPENED 45 YEARS AGO IN SPRINGFIELD.
MOST OF THE CONSTRUCTION IS ORIGINAL CONSTRUCTION.
THE DECK IS TO THE POINT WHERE REALLY THE AMOUNT OF REPAIRS
THAT WE NEEDED TO DO ON AN EMERGENCY BASIS DICTATED THAT WE
NEED TO COMPLETELY REPLACE THE DOAK AND PUT A NEW DECK ON THE
SURFACE OF THE VIADUCT.
>> WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT REPAIRS ON AN EMERGENCY BASIS
OFTEN THERE WOULD BE A LANE CLOSURE.
>> RIGHT.
WE WOULD BE NOTIFIED PART OF THE DECK HAD BROKEN APART AND WE
WOULD HAVE TO GO OUT THERE IN THE MIDDLE OF PERHAPS COMMUTE
TRAFFIC AND MAKE AN EMERGENCY REPAIR TO FIX THAT HOLE, REPAIR
IT, SOMETIMES ON A TEMPORARY BASIS DURING THE DAY, DURING THE
COMMUTE, WHICH IS THE MOST DISRUPTIVE TIME TO BE MAKING
THOSE REPAIRS.
SOMETIMES COME BACK AT NIGHT TO MAKE SORT OF A MORE PERMANENT
FIX.
THAT WAS HAPPENING ON AN INCREASINGLY FREQUENT BASIS OVER
THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
YOU PROBABLY NOTICED.
THAT'S BECAUSE AGAIN, THE DECK OF THE STRUCTURE IS 45 YEARS
OLD.
IT'S REINFORCED CONCRETE.
IT'S REACHED THE END OF ITS RELIABLE, USEFUL LIFE AND
NEITHER COMPLETE REPLACEMENT.
>> WHAT IS AFFECTED DURING THIS PROJECT?
>> RIGHT NOW DURING THIS PHASE THE TWO ON-RAMPS TO THE VIADUCT
FROM EAST COLUMBUS AVENUE AT BASICALLY UNION AND STATE
STREET, THOSE ON-RAMPS ARE CLOSED.
TWO OFF-RAMPS ON THE SOUTHBOUND SIDE, EXIT 7 TO THE MEMORIAL
BRIDGE, DOWNTOWN, AND EXIT 6 TO BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME AREA AT
UNION STREET.
THOSE OFF-RAMPS ARE CLOSED.
THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL RAMP THAT TAKES TRAFFIC FROM ROUTE 20 TO
I-91 SOUTHBOUND THAT'S ALSO CLOSED THAT'S AN ON-RAMP ON THE
SOUTHBOUND SIDE.
>> HOW IS THIS ALL COMMUNICATED TO PEOPLE?
YOU HAVE HAD A FEW DIFFERENT COMMUNITY MEETINGS BUT HOW ARE
YOU GETTING THE WORD OUT?
>> WE DO HAVE DURING CONSTRUCTION WE'RE HAVING
QUARTERLY REGULAR MEETINGS TO NOTIFY THE PUBLIC OF WHERE WE
ARE IN THE CONSTRUCTION, WHAT'S COMING UP, AND THAT WILL
CONTINUE THROUGHOUT CONSTRUCTION.
WE ALSO HAVE A PROJECT WEBSITE BASICALLY I-91 VIADUCT REHAB.
YOU'LL FIND OUR WEB PAGE.
ON THAT PAGE IS A LINK WHERE PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY SIGN UP TO
RECEIVE NOTIFICATIONS WHEN WE SEND THEM OUT OF WHAT CHANGES
ARE COMING IN TERMS OF TRAFFIC AND WHAT STAGES OF CONSTRUCTION
ARE UPCOMING AND WHAT DETOURS WILL BE IN PLACE.
PEOPLE CAN GET ON THAT LIST AND RECEIVE EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS
WHENEVER WE CINDY HERNANDEZ THEM OUT.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE OVER 2300 PEOPLE ON THAT LIST SOAFG
NOTIFICATIONS.
>> THERE'S ALSO WORK BEING DONE DOWNTON ON EAST COLUMBUS, WEST
COLUMBUS, OFF HAMPDEN OUTSIDE OUR BUILDING.
TELL US ABOUT THAT.
>> BASICALLY DUE TO THE RAMP CLOSURES IN EFFECT AND THE
TRAFFIC THAT CAN'T GET ON THE HIGHWAY THAT WOULD NORMALLY SORT
OF ON THE NORTHBOUND SIDE ON EAST COLUMBUS AVENUE, BASICALLY
MEANS THERE WILL BE MORE TRAFFIC ON EAST COLUMBUS AVENUE.
WE HAVE BEEN WORKING TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS TO HANDLE THE
ANTICIPATED INCREASE IN TRAFFIC VOLUME BECAUSE OF THE TRAFFIC
THAT CAN'T GET ON THE HIGHWAY.
ON THE WEST COLUMBUS SIDE, BECAUSE OF THE OFF-RAMPS THAT
ARE CLOSED AND PEOPLE WHO WOULD NORMALLY USE I-91 SOUTHBOUND TO
ACCESS THE DOWNTOWN AREA, THEY NEED TO GET OFF OF THE HIGHWAY
SOONER AND WE HAVE CONSTRUCTED A TEMPORARY RAMP WE CALL TEMP EXIT
7-6, FOR TRAFFIC THAT WOULD USE THOSE CLOSED OFF-RAMPS THEY CAN
GOAT OFF NORTH OF WHERE THEY NORMALLY WOULD AND TAKE WEST
COLUMBUS INTO THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
WE HAVE BEEN DOING WORK ON THOSE STREETS BASICALLY TO BE HANDLE
AN ANTICIPATED INCREASE IN TRAFFIC VOLUME DUE TO RAMP
CLOSURES.
>> THE OTHER NIGHT I WAS COMING HOME FROM OLYMPIA FROM A HOCKEY
GAME AND THERE WAS A BIG BACKUP COMING 91 SOUTH.
I LUCKED OUT, I GOT OFF ON 291 SO I DIDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM.
WHAT TRAFFIC DELAYS ARE YOU EXPECTING?
>> WE HAVE BEEN TELLING PEOPLE GENERALLY 10 TO 15 MINUTES IS
PROBABLY MAXIMUM DELAY ONCE THE TRAFFIC SETTLES OUT.
INITIALLY WHEN EVERYTHING IS NEW IT MIGHT BE LONGER BUT THAT
WOULD BE MAINLY SOUTHBOUND SIDE WHERE AS TRAFFIC APPROACHES THE
VIADUCT FROM THE SOUTH, THERE ARE THREE LANES THAT WE NEED TO
MERGE DOWN TO TWO LANES.
WE'RE BASICALLY REPAIRING ONE HALF AT A TIME, WHICH WE CAN
RESERVE TWO LANES ON MOST OF THE VIADUCT STRUCTURE.
ON THE SOUTHBOUND SIDE AS 91 APPROACHES THE VIADUCT, 91 DROPS
TO TWO LANES UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS.
WHERE WE DO THE LANE DROP AND MERGE IT'S TRAFFIC MERGING DOWN
TO ONE LANE.
THAT'S WHERE THE LONGER BACKUP OCCURS.
THE LONGER DELAYS ARE ON THE SOUTHBOUND SIDE BOTH IN THE
MORNING AND IN THE AFTERNOON PEAK.
ESPECIALLY IN THE AFTERNOON.
>> YOU HAD SOME REALLY GREAT WEATHER IN DECEMBER FOR
CONSTRUCTION.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT YOU FACE DOING A PROJECT
LIKE THEY SPECIALLY THROUGH THE WINTER?
>> WELL, ACTUALLY ON A NORMAL MASS.DOT PROJECT WE WOULDN'T
INCLUDE WINTER MONTHS FROM DECEMBER 1 TO MARCH 15 AS ACTIVE
CONSTRUCTION PERIODS BUT BECAUSE OF THE URGENCY OF GETTING THE
VIADUCT DONE AS QUICK A MANNER AS POSSIBLE, WE HAVE SPECIAL
PROVISIONS IN THIS CONTRACT WHERE THE CONTRACTOR IS EXPECTED
TO WORK THROUGHOUT EVERY WINTER AND NOT SHUT DOWN.
SO THE TIME DURATIONS THAT ARE SET IN THE CONTRACT REFLECT THE
CONTRACTOR WORKING THROUGH EACH ARE WINTER.
WE DO EXPECT NORMALLY THERE'S A DROP-OFF IN THE LEVEL OF
PRODUCTIVITY DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS.
BUT AGAIN, THEY ARE EXPECTED TO WORK THROUGH EACH WINTER AND
THAT'S TO HELP TRY TO GET THINGS BACK TO NORMAL SOONER.
>> WHAT'S THE TIMELINE AND HOW MUCH DOES A PROJECT LIKE THIS
COST?
>> OKAY.
THE TIMELINE FOR THIS PROJECT ACCORDING TO THE CONTRACT IS
THAT THE CONTRACTOR IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE I-91 AND THE RAMPS BACK
TO THEIR NORMAL CONDITIONS NO MORE LANE CLOSURES, NO MORE RAMP
CLOSURES, BY AUGUST OF 2018.
BUT THERE'S AN INCENTIVE IN THE CONTRACT THAT FOR UP TO 180 DAYS
EARLY THAT THE CONTRACTOR GETS 91 AND THE RAMPS BACK OPEN THEY
GET A $50,000 A DAY INCENTIVE PAYMENT.
THAT'S A MAXIMUM UP TO $9 MILLION TO GET THE LANES AND
RAMPS ON THE HIGHWAY BACK TO NORMAL AND CURRENTLY OUR
CONTRACTOR PROJECTS THAT THEY WILL HAVE THAT DONE BY THE END
OF 2017, DECEMBER OF 2017.
SO BASICALLY THEY WOULD ACCOMPLISH THAT.
THEY WILL GET THE MAXIMUM INCENTIVE.
>> WHEN THE HIGHWAY WAS BUILT IN THE '60s, WAS THERE ANY SORT
OF ANTICIPATION THAT THERE WOULD BE SO MANY CARS TRAVELING IN
THAT AREA AND HOW MANY CARS TRAVEL ON THAT ROUTE EVERY DAY?
>> RIGHT.
I'M ESTIMATING WHAT PROJECTIONS WERE IN THE '60s OF WHAT
TRAFFIC WOULD BE IN THE FUTURE BUT CURRENTLY TODAY I-91 CARRIES
VARIES BETWEEN EXITS FROM 75 TO 80,000 CARS A DAY UP TO 115,000
CARS A DAY.
THE BUSY SECTION IS BETWEEN 291 AND 391 WHERE IT'S 115,000 CARS
A DAY.
>> THANK YOU FOR KEEPING US UP TO DATE ON THE CONSTRUCTION.
CERTAINLY PEOPLE CAN LOG ON TO THE WEBSITE YOU MENTIONED TO GET
MORE INFORMATION AS THEY NEED T. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME AGAIN.