MassDOT outlines multi‑year I‑195/Route 18 interchange rehabilitation; council asks for community briefings and local coordination

Massachusetts Department of Transportation staff and the design‑build team briefed the New Bedford City Council committee on June 17 about a planned replacement of the I‑195 viaduct at the Route 18 interchange and associated roadway work. The team described a five‑phase construction staging plan that will reshape the interstate mainline, ramps and local street connections and includes a permanent noise wall, reconstructed local streets, utility relocations and new open space under the viaduct.

Scope and schedule: MassDOT presenters said the project will replace three I‑195 bridges at the Route 18 interchange, widen and reconstruct I‑195 from Mount Pleasant Street to North Front Street, install a permanent noise wall and reconstruct or resurface local streets and sidewalks in the project area. The…