Letter to Editor: Jehlen Praises Fast14 I-93 Highway Project

Somerville State Sen. Pat Jehlen and Sen. Thomas McGee, chair of the Massachusetts General Court's joint committee on transportation, have praised this summer's Fast14 highway project on Interstate 93.

"Here is an excellent example of a state government agency being pro-active and addressing an obvious problem in a creative way that saves both time and money," they write in an op-ed piece.

What's more, they write, "[T]he price tag is a little under $100 million dollars which is a relatively small amount of money for a project of this size."

Read their entire op-ed piece here:

"Last August, a giant hole opened on a bridge on I-93 in Medford.  Rush hour traffic came to an abrupt halt and the usual heavy, slow evening commute came to a standstill.  Road crews were immediately dispatched to fix the hole.  While fixing the hole, crews discovered that there was significant structural damage to the deck itself.  Further investigation revealed that all of the fourteen bridge decks on I-93 in Medford were severely compromised and in urgent need of replacement.  

Using conventional methods this type of bridge replacement would have taken five years or more.  Instead, Mass Department of Transportation engineers formulated a cutting-edge action plan, now called the Fast 14 Project that called for all fourteen decks to be replaced over the course of one summer, working weekends only and keeping traffic flowing the entire time by using the latest technology in bridge construction.  The ambitious scope and scale of the Fast 14 Project is unprecedented and has been watched closely by transportation officials and professionals nationwide.  

As those who travel I-93 are well aware, each weekend of this summer, starting at 8:00 Friday night traffic has been redirected into 2 lanes in each direction on one side of the highway while the other side was shut down.  At 10:00PM demolition began and was completed by morning.  On Saturday the new prefabricated decks were put in place.   On Sunday new cement was poured and the roadway was prepared for use. By Monday morning at 5 AM all traffic lanes were re opened in both directions.  

Using a design/build process, bids were solicited and within five weeks a contract had been signed.  Four weeks later work began.  This contract requires the contractor to meet the specific timetable established by DOT or face severe financial penalties.   Anyone who has watched this work being conducted has been absolutely amazed at the pace and scope of the work.  Crews of workers and dozens of pieces of enormous equipment are all working through the day and night.  At the same time, as a further protection for the tax payers of the Commonwealth and the 200,000 daily commuters on I-93, DOT personnel are on site spot checking every batch of concrete that is poured. This undertaking is so remarkable that even U.S. Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez visited Medford in July to see the project firsthand.

Now that all 14 decks have been replaced, all those involved in the conception, planning and implementation of the Fast 14 should be commended.  Every weekend of work has been finished ahead of schedule.   The public awareness campaign was thorough and utilized multimedia to prepare residents and visitors during the summer travel season. Perhaps most impressive, the price tag is a little under $100 million dollars which is a relatively small amount of money for a project of this size.  Using traditional methods and a typical five year time frame, this project would have cost several times as much and led to months of disruption for drivers.

We don’t often read about the good things when it comes to transportation projects, our state government or how our tax dollars are really being spent.  Here is an excellent example of a state government agency being pro-active and addressing an obvious problem in a creative way that saves both time and money.  Massachusetts has become a model for other states faced with infrastructure needs that challenge their budgets. The Fast 14 Project is part of the Patrick administration’s Accelerated Bridge Program (ABP). This is a $3 billion, eight year program to repair or replace more than 200 bridges throughout the Commonwealth.  As of May 2, 2011 the ABP Program had completed 51 bridge projects, with another 76 bridge projects currently in construction, and an additional 47 bridge projects scheduled to start construction within the next year.   In 2008 there were 543 structurally deficient bridges owned by DOT and DCR.  That number is down to 457 and shrinking but there is still work to be done. This kind of investment in our own infrastructure, undertaken for the public good in a cost effective and safety conscious manner is an example of our government at its best. 

—Senator Patricia D. Jehlen, 2nd Middlesex
—Senator Thomas M. McGee, Chair of the Committee on Transportation"