Crime & Safety

Casey Overpass Outbound Lane Shut Down

Police have shut down the outbound lane of the decaying Casey Overpass. Scanner traffic indicates concern with structural integrity of the bridge.

UPDATE: Saturday, 11:05 a.m. — The state reports that repairs were completed Saturday morning and that as of 4:30 a.m. the overpass was open in both directions.

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UPDATE: Friday, 4:55 p.m. — The Department of Transportation plans to close the outbound lane of the Casey Overpass throughout the Friday evening commute while they work on "bridge deck repairs."

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Effects from the lane closure are rippling through the area. Motorists are being shunted off the Jamaicaway toward West Roxbury. Police recommend avoiding the area if possible.

Here is a bulletin from the Department of Transportation, issed at 4:51 p.m. Friday:

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The EASTBOUND side of the Casey Overpass, carrying Route 203 over Washington Street and New Washington Street, is closed to vehicular travel for emergency repairs.

Repairs are expected to begin within the hour. The closure of the eastbound direction is expected to last until 11 p.m. Drivers should use Centre Street as an alternate route.

Drivers that must travel through the affected area should expect delays and should reduce speed and use caution while approaching and traveling along the detour route and the area of the overpass.

WCVB reports that the trouble was caused by a truck hitting the bridge.

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Authorities have shut down the one remaining outbound lane atop the Casey Overpass. The closure is causing a high volume of congestion, according to scanner traffic.

Also according to scanner traffic, the closure is because of concern with the structural integrity of the bridge and engineers are on their way to investigate. Scanner reports can be incomplete or inaccurate, so Patch is trying to confirm this aspect of the closure.

The Casey Overpass is scheduled to be torn down and replaced with a network of surface roads. Earlier this year, the four-lane span was narrowed to one lane in each direction because of concerns for structural integrity of the bridge. It was built in the 1950s.

Photographer Alex Jones reports via Twitter that debris has fallen from the bridge, causing authorities to tape off the area beneath.

Follow all the Casey Overpass news at the JP Patch Casey Overpass topic page.


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