MassDOT details I‑195 viaduct replacement in New Bedford; utility relocations, stormwater work to begin as enabling steps

Massachusetts Department of Transportation representatives told the New Bedford City Council on Feb. 27 that MassDOT’s design‑build plan to replace the I‑195 viaduct in New Bedford is approved by the DOT board and now awaits Federal Highway Administration concurrence before construction can begin.

The project, identified by MassDOT as Project 606527, covers the viaduct from County Street toward Route 18 and will include new ramps and an updated interchange. MassDOT supervising project manager Anthony Christakis said the overall timeline after final approvals is about “4 and a half years, K. 5 years,” although the team expects roughly one year of design before major construction begins. Christakis said, “Once we get 1 more signature … it’s go time.”

MassDOT, the city Department of Public Infrastructure and Eversource Energy are coordinating enabling work. Valerie Kilduff, the MassDOT design‑build project manager, said Eversource must move and temporarily reroute utilities “to enable our work” and described a phased approach in which temporary conduit is installed, the new infrastructure is constructed at the correct grade, and conduits are then reset to permanent locations. The council earlier heard the clerk read specifics tied to the utility hearings: a filing for approximately 775 feet of temporary conduit and two new manholes on Purchase Street; 931 feet of temporary conduit and 100 feet of permanent conduit and two manholes on Belleville Avenue; and 149 feet of temporary conduit and 160 feet of permanent conduit and two manholes on Washburn Street.

City Engineer Sean Tsai described how DPI’s separate but linked sewer‑separation and stormwater work will be built in tandem with the DOT project. “We’ve been working with MassDOT now for the better part of 3 years,” Tsai said, and noted the city will construct new storm drains, repair and replace sewers, and fully reconstruct streets and sidewalks in the project area once underground work is complete.

Why it matters: the viaduct is a regional connector for freight and commuter traffic, and the project will alter traffic patterns and street conditions in neighborhoods near the infield of Route 18. MassDOT said it will maintain two lanes of highway traffic in both directions throughout construction but will use detour plans that route some ramp traffic via the I‑140 interchanges; Councilors asked how the detours would affect local circulation. Christakis said long detours will keep detour traffic on the highway rather than routing it through local streets.

Key project features discussed at the meeting included updated bridge structures over North Front Street and Belleville Avenue, an independent MassDOT stormwater system that will discharge to the Acushnet River (separating some flows from the city system), and an “all‑new shared use path” with lighting, benches and outdoor teaching facilities through the infield to improve pedestrian connections. MassDOT said it had reduced the number of column supports compared with earlier designs to improve sight lines toward the Hayden McFadden School and added that the infield path will be wide enough for emergency and maintenance vehicles; Christakis said the parklike area will be “turned over to the city after construction.”

On timing and next steps, Kilduff said the DOT board approved the design‑build package and the agency will seek Federal Highway concurrence. She said the awarded contractor’s notice to proceed is hoped to come at the end of March and that Eversource’s utility work is “enabling work” that the project team wants to start “as soon as possible” because the sooner utilities are moved the sooner major construction can access the same land. Christakis noted Federal Highway provides about 80% of project funding and that the federal signature is the remaining administrative step before major construction.

Councilors pressed on local concerns: emergency access for the infield path, measures to address frequent flooding and drainage near Mount Pleasant, and whether police details for construction will be coordinated between state and local police. MassDOT and DPI said they had met with emergency services and will provide sight‑line improvements, curb cuts for maintenance and emergency access, and coordinated traffic enforcement plans with state police on the highway and local police on city streets.

The council opened continued public hearings on Eversource’s filings for the conduit and manhole work and later recorded no public opposition during the hearing. The council’s procedural approval does not remove permitting or construction conditions; MassDOT and DPI representatives said they will continue design reviews, traffic management approvals and shop‑drawing reviews with the city throughout the process.