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 design‑builder was procured in 2024 and design is scheduled for completion in winter 2025. MassDOT described a phase schedule that begins with early median demolition and westbound crossovers in summer–fall 2025, extended viaduct demo and construction work through 2027, further demolition and construction in 2027–2029 and final alignment paving and landscaping with eastbound/westbound openings targeted near the end of 2029.

Traffic staging and detours: MassDOT said no interstate lanes will close during peak travel times and that ramp closures will be minimized. For ramp detours, MassDOT described routes that keep traffic on highway ramps where possible (for example, using Exit 24 and the cloverleaf to redirect traffic rather than routing vehicles onto local streets). The team said it will maintain local access for all modes throughout construction and keep driveways and school access open in phases. For the school near the project area the contractor committed to retaining a minimum number of legal parking spaces and to coordinating deliveries and bus movements with school officials. MassDOT also said it will post real‑time highway travel information and coordinate messaging with mapping services.

Community mitigation and outreach: MassDOT detailed outreach channels — a project website, an email address and a dedicated hotline (recorded project phone number provided to the committee) — and said it will host public meetings. A virtual public meeting was announced for late June (project page) and the team said it will hold periodic briefings timed to major construction shifts.

Committee action: The committee received the presentation packet and, after questions from councilors about notification, parking for the school, signal timing and detour routing, voted to place the item on file and to take no further action at the committee level. Councilors requested that MassDOT continue close coordination with the city on traffic signal timing and that the project team continue outreach through the school and neighborhood associations.

Contacts and resources: MassDOT provided project contact information for questions and comments and a link to the project web page; the team encouraged residents to sign up for email updates and to use the project hotline for time‑sensitive questions. The committee recorded the briefing, filed the materials and referred the project for no further action at the committee level.