Emergency repairs on Mass Pike continue with a full reopening set for Friday evening

By Olivia Peters
The Mass Pike is set to fully reopen after all westbound lanes were closed for emergency repairs.

The Mass Pike is supposed to fully reopen Friday evening after being shut down for emergency repairs earlier in the day. The closure took place by the Mass Pike junction with I-495, near the Hopkinton-Westborough line.

In a press conference, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation said they were hoping to have one lane of the highway open by 2 pm, but were unable to open a lane until 4:30 pm. The rest of the highway is expected to reopen at 8 pm.

MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said the repairs are needed “after a construction trench settlement formed in the low-speed lane due to nearby construction.”

There has been ongoing construction in this area, which includes the building of new interchanges and a new ramp for the highway.

Gulliver further commented on the emergency repairs, saying, “As part of that work, the contractor has been installing piles adjacent to the embankment up against the portion of the turnpike that the settlement happened in. This activity appears to have caused the settlement.”

Gulliver and construction crews are still working to figure out exactly what caused the settlement.