Photo Gallery
Photos taken on and near I-90/Massachusetts
Turnpike. Want to share yours? Feel free to E-mail
me:
A. I-90 Sign Replacement Project (2015-2020)
MassDOT awarded
contracts to replace all the Mass Pike exit signs under two separate
sign replacement projects in 2015. The winning bid for the second
contract from Auburn to Boston was Liddell Bros. of Halifax announced on
November 23, 2015, the project was due to be completed in the spring of
2018, but work still was not fully complete as of early 2020. The
winning bidder for the first was Road Safe Traffic Systems where almost
75% of the signs were put up by the end of August 2018, this
contract's completion has been delayed again, and was also to be
finished by fall 2019. Originally, as part of these contracts, the exit
numbers would have been changed as part of a statewide plan to convert
all interstate and expressway exit numbers to those based on the
highway's mileposts. That 2015 project was later postponed, only to be
started again in the fall of 2020. The signs put up in the meantime
maintained the current sequential numbers but their exit tabs will be
designed to use the, often larger, milepost numbers (depicted below on
sign plans) to be put up sometime in the first six months of 2021.
As for project progress, as of my last road trip in mid-July 2020 there
were 4 remaining old signs to be replaced for the western contract,
while new overhead supports were seen westbound at Exit 6 (I-291/US 20)
in the fall of 2018, new signs were not put up until the fall of 2020,
along with 1 exit sign westbound in Auburn and the 1/2 mile advance
signs for Exit 1 in West Stockbridge heading west and Exit 2 in Lee
heading east, this means about 96% of the exit signage has been put up.
MassDOT updated their contract listing saying the western project is now
to be completed by the summer of 2020. In late November 2019 MassDOT
announced a lane closure at the Auburn interchange for sign
installation, to put up the last overhead sign at the exit ramp. By the
end of 2019 the last of the overhead signs for the Turnpike were put up
at the end of I-84 in Sturbridge.
For the eastern
contract, as of January 2020, all the overhead exit signage had been
installed, with the final signs going up in early July. The new signage
included all those for Exit 18 eastbound and advance signage for 16 and
15 westbound. New support posts were spotted in March for signage on the
ramps of the Allston-Brighton interchange (Exit 18), but not all new
signs have yet been installed. Most of the ground-mounted signage
between I-95/Route 128 and Auburn has now been put up, though there are
some missing town line signs and reassurance markers (see examples in
the new photos below). In the fall of 2018, bridge signs identifying
street and city/town had been put up, and later on new mile markers were
put in starting in December 2018. As of the end of 2019, all
post-interchange distance signs, have now been placed east of Auburn
(see photos).
Photo of new
signage at I-291 exit on I-90 West in Springfield, courtesy of Jay
Hogan:
Photos of new
signage spotted between Sturbridge and Boston, March 2020
The last new
gantry to go up between Auburn and Boston, at the ramp to I-290 North,
Route 12, and I-395 South in Auburn.
The contractors
finally got around to updating the signage at the end of I-84 in
Sturbridge in early 2020. Note the lack of exit tabs. The gantry is
supposedly built to withstand 130 MPH winds, so a couple extra tabs
probably wouldn't compromise it.
The reassurance
marker following the Sturbridge exit, like all others west of Auburn,
this one has a rectangular sign with the Pike logo on top.
The overhead
signs at the split of ramps from I-495 in Hopkinton.
A bonus photo of
the signage at the ramp to the Pike from I-495 South:
Sorry for the
graininess of the image, the road was quite bumpy at this location.
The East
I-90/Mass Pike reassurance marker after the MA 16 ramp in Newton. Notice
the square Pike logo sign is at the bottom.
The next
reassurance marker after the Newton/Watertown exit, however, restores
the logo to a rectangular sign on top.
Sign marking
entering the City of Boston and crossing into Suffolk County.
This auxiliary
sign in Brighton isn't for the next exit but for I-93 and the South
Boston exit after that.
This auxiliary
sign for Fenway Park is actually a new standard guide/paddle sign.
From the I-90
East lanes after the Allston/Brighton/Cambridge exit, some guide signage
along the exit ramp.
Some new signage
from Boston to Framingham, January 2020:
New reassurance
marker put up after the Allston-Brighton-Cambridge exit on-ramp, the
Pike logo sign, like west of Auburn, is above the I-90 shield.
The new mile
markers start at Mile 131, here is the Mile 130 marker heading westbound
in Brighton.
Overthead signage
westbound at the Newton/Watertown exit, not previously photographed,
with space for future Milepost based number, which was to be 128, but
now will be 127.
The next new
reassurance marker also has the Turnpike logo shield on top, meanwhile
the eastbound marker after the MA 16 on-ramp has it on the bottom (photo
soon).
The Entering
Weston sign posts are in place, but still no sign prior to the I-95/128
exit heading west.
The reassurance
marker following the I-95/128 exit in Weston has still not been
replaced.
The
post-interchange distance sign after the Weston exit.
The westbound
Right Lane Ends in 1/2 Mile advisory sign uses the gantry for the 1-Mile
Advance sign for I-90 East.
The overhead ramp
signage at the split of ramps at the Route 9/Framingham exit.
Not related to
the sign replacement project, but to earlier adoption of electronic
tolling, the sign for the Mass Pike ramps on Route 9 East in Framingham.
The reassurance
marker headed east from Framingham now has a directional banner (no
banner photo below).
The completion of
the bridge reconstruction project east of Route 9 allowed the placement
of a new post-interchange distance sign after others has already been
put up earlier in 2019.
They put up a new
auxiliary sign in Weston for the I-95/128 exit. It matches the earlier
sign (see below) with no mention of Route 128 but with room for a future
3-digit exit number (123).
Earlier photos of
signs replaced along I-90 East from the New York border to Sturbridge,
August 2019:
The entrance sign
to the Lee (Service) Plaza now has mixed case lettering.
The 1-Mile
advance overhead for the US 20 exit (there still is no new 1/2 mile
advance sign).
The new overhead
ramp signage for US 20.
A new East
I-90/Mass Pike logo reassurance marker after the US 20 exit. The order
matches the previous sign but no longer matches reassurance markers east
of Auburn nor the new order on the pull through signs.
One if the new
town/city line signs, this one for Becket.
New sign
identifying the crossing of the Pike by the Appalachian Trail in Becket.
The new version
of the truck steep grade advisory sign heading down toward Springfield.
This
'post-interchange' distance sign is actually half the 30 mile distance
between Exits 2 and 3. Would it have hurt them to have placed it at 100
miles to Boston?
The 1-Mile
advance for the US 202/MA 10 Westfield exit.
The 1/2 mile
advance sign, present for this exit, with bridge construction crews
setting up for night work in the westbound lanes.
The exit ramp
sign, with a new Exit 3 gore sign (not big enough for a 2-digit milepost
number) in the distance.
The overhead
signage previously not up the last time I drove past the Route 33 exit
in Chicopee, The 2 mile advance for I-291, like the other signs, has no
direction listed.
Another new
reassurance marker following the Route 33 exit.
The overhead
signage at the I-291 exit, also not up the last time through, you can
also see the old signage westbound still not replaced in mid-August.
The Ludlow
Service Plaza also has new mixed case entrance gore signage.
Auxiliary signage
for US 20 and Amherst/UMass (should it be UMass Amherst?) prior to the
MA 32 Palmer exit. The congestion is due to a bridge closure ahead that
was supposed to start at 8PM but was already closed 20 minutes early.
With night
falling, photo of previously not installed new signage at ramp to I-84
(East). The signage at the split of ramps to the Pike from I-84 East
still had not been replaced. Notice the new gore sign in the distance,
unlike those further east, does not have room for a 2 digit milepost
based number.
Earlier photos of
new signage between Allston-Brighton and Newton put up in early July,
first westbound:
The advance signs
for the Route 16 exit have unusual distances, the first is for 1 1/4
miles.
The second is a
mile further on, for 1/4 mile, the gore sign in the distance is still
button copy.
The new 1-Mile
Advance for the combined I-95/To Route 30 exit has a slightly misplaced
Exit Only arrow, but it's not as bad as that on the next sign.
The arrow for the
1/2 mile advance sign is clearly pointing to the middle lane. They'll
probably fix that, like the previous problem with the Newton/Watertown
exit by moving the arrow to the right.
Heading back
east:
The new 1-Mile
Advance sign for the Allston-Brighton/Cambridge exit is paired with a
VMS display (and another VMS westbound).
The 1/2 mile
advance sign remains as bridge-mounted prior to the Brighton toll
gantry.
The last new
overhead signs eastbound at the current Exit 18 off-ramp, space is
available on the exit tab for a mileage based number, 131.
New ground
mounted guide signs are up along the Exit 18 off-ramp, the overhead
button copy signs though have yet to be replaced.
Here's a
free-standing Toll I-90 trailblazer along Cambridge Street in Brighton
(and the back of another seen in the distance). The only other yellow
toll banners seen are on guide signs.
Photos of new
signage beyond Auburn courtesy of Jay Hogan taken on July 14, 2019
Heading West:
The 1-Mile
Advance sign for the last Pike Exit in West Stockbridge (the old
ground-mounted 1/2 mile advance sign can be seen in the distance).
Heading East:
Overhead signage
at the I-84 exit eastbound, during the daytime.
Signage in the
former Auburn toll plaza at ramp to Park and Ride Lot.
More sign images,
in better resolutions, can be found at his Flickr
Site.
Photos of new
signs between Weston and Framingham, courtesy of Benjamin Long, July
2019
Recently placed
post-interchange distance sign (needs some tree pruning) on I-90 West
after the I-95/Weston interchange.
New sign for
State Police Barracks in Weston (pole behind is probably for new Right
Lane Ends sign.
There is also a
new blue sign at the entrance with a new yellow banner indicating Not an
Exit.
New overhead
signs, with two signs on same support post, at split of ramp from
I-90/Mass Pike to Route 30 in Natick.
Corresponding new
signs, with different sign placement, at split for Route 9 East and West
in Framingham.
New overhead
signage for split of ramps for traffic heading for the Mass Pike from
I-95 South in Weston.
The matching
1-Mile to State Police Barracks sign on I-90/Mass Pike heading east.
New sign
eastbound for the State Police/Weston Maintenance Area and yellow "Not A
Exit" Tab.
New Advisory sign
for trucks carrying hazardous materials includes room in exit number for
future 3-digit (123) version.
Latest Own Photos
from June 2019
The new 1-Mile
advance sign for the I-95 (128) exit eastbound in Weston put up the last
week in June.
And the new 1/2
mile advance diagrammatic sign (with former sign gantry still up in the
distance).
Newly placed
overheads replacing bridge mounted signs (see below) prior to I-95 ramp
split from I-90 in Weston.
Current standard
overhead signs placed at former site of RI 146 interchange toll plaza.
Photos from early
June 2019:
Overhead Signage:
The new overhead
signs heading west at the I-495 interchange in Hopkinton.
And the
corresponding pair eastbound.
Meanwhile,
support posts have been placed for the advance diagrammatic signs for
the I-95 Weston exit eastbound, here seen from the westbound lanes.
And the same
supports now heading east on the Pike toward the Weston interchange.
Here's are the
posts for the 1/2 mile advance sign heading east.
Meanwhile,
heading west there are foundations in place for the future 1-Mile
advance sign, which will not be mounted on the Auburn Street bridge.
Hard to tell if
there is a new foundation at the site of the current 1/2 mile advance
sign, though I am assuming there is one.
Ground Mounted
Signage
Heading west new
signage starts to appear just prior to the Route 30 exit in Natick:
Speaking
of, this new sign announces crossing into Natick from Weston.
Now entering
Wayland.
Now back in
Natick again.
Nope, back in
Wayland again, but the Route 30 exit is always referred to as in Natick,
because:
It is, though
Route 30 actually crosses the Pike in Wayland, some towns should
straighten out their borders.
Here's the first
new West I-90/Mass Pike (in that order) reassurance marker after the
Route 30 exit and crossing into Framingham. The order of the reassurance
marker is the opposite to that put up under the western contract (see
previous photos, below).
New
post-interchange distance sign following the Route 30 exit with I-495
shield replacing text and I-84 shield replacing Sturbridge.
New
ground-mounted river crossing signs have also been put up, here for the
Sudbury River.
New mixed case
blue gore signs have also been placed at the entrance to Service Plazas,
such as at Framingham.
This new gore
sign at the Route 9 exit is wide enough to hold a 3 digit milepost based
number, if when MassDOT converts the number would be 113.
The new
reassurance marker after the Route 9 exit.
And the new
post-interchange distance sign after the Route 9 exit in Framingham.
A new town line
sign for Westboro appears between Route 9 and I-495.
Several of
these yellow advisory signs regarding reduced salt use areas are now up,
this one east of I-495.
Just before the
I-495 exit there is a new stacked entering sign for both Hopkinton and
Middlesex County.
The new
reassurance marker following the I-495 exit and heading toward the
Westboro(ugh) Service Plaza.
Which isn't
entirely in Westboro(ugh) based on this town line sign just before the
on-ramp from the Service Plaza.
Another Reduced
Salt Use advisory sign after the I-495 exit in Grafton.
Another new
reassurance marker, this one after the Route 122 exit in Millbury.
And the last one
I saw heading westbound after the Route 146/US 20 exit.
Approaching the
Auburn exit we naturally have the new boundary sign for Entering
Auburn.
The blue
attractions sign for the I-290/I-395/Route 12 exit has nothing listed,
perhaps waiting for the arrival of the Pawtucket Red Sox.
There are new
ground mounted brown signs as well, such as this for the
Quinebaug-Shetucket Valley National Corridor prior to the Auburn exit.
Turning Around...
Don't know if
these signs at the split of the ramps at the former Auburn Toll Plaza
are temporary or permanent.
The first new
East I-90/Mass Pike reassurance marker was spotted going up the hill
after the Route 146/US 20 exit.
This reassurance
marker following the Route 122 Millbury exit currently has no East
directional banner (that is a new Speed Limit 65 sign in the
background).
The new distance
sign following the Route 122 exit has shields replacing text for both
I-495 and I-95.
A new sign for
entering Westboro(ugh) approaching the I-495 exit.
For the
reassurance marker after I-495 they replaced the I-90 and Mass Pike logo
shields but kept the old East banner.
This new
post-interchange distance sign after the I-495 exit features only 1
interstate shield.
New
Southboro(ugh) town line sign after the I-495 exit.
A new auxiliary
sign for Framingham State University approaching the Route 9 exit.
Also a new sign
for the Park and Ride Lot on Route 9 prior to the Framingham exit.
The gore sign for
the MA 9 exit in this direction too has been updated to one that could
hold a 3-digit exit number in the future.
The reassurance
marker following the Route 9 exit is also missing its East banner.
The one following
the Route 30 exit has an East banner.
The Natick
Service Plaza entrance sign has also been updated to mixed case.
The last new
post-interchange distance sign replaced I-95 text with a shield
following the Natick Service Plaza.
A new Weston Town
Line sign now greets drivers about to go under the toll gantry by the
Weston State Police Barracks.
This auxiliary
sign for Route 30 at the Weston exit has not been replaced yet. There is
no mention of Route 128 because it was on the overhead signs, but that
route has been removed from the new overhead diagrammatic signs.
Here's a new
street identification sign from along the Allston-Brighton off-ramp,
none over the on-ramp to I-90:
Previous photos
from April 2019:
No new sign
progress to report, this contractor tag along I-90 West marks the future
spot for the left-side support post for the 1-Mile Advance overhead sign
for the I-95/Weston exit on the Pike eastbound. As of early April no
foundation had yet to be constructed.
I took some new
photos of some of the overhead signage placed last fall for the
I-84/Sturbridge exit westbound, the previous photos taken in the rain:
The ramp signage
was not up during my last trip, so here's my photo at the ramp to I-84
(West), notice no directional for this sign.
One of the new
combination town line and county line signs, this one the second one for
Brimfield/Hampden County heading west.
Mile 60 marker in
the median, mileposts are all up from Auburn westward.
Another
combination sign with both town line and river crossing sign information
crossing the Chicopee River into Ludlow.
Reassurance
marker beyond the Route 21/Ludlow exit which appears to not have been
replaced.
This 2-Mile
advance sign for I-291 was not up the last time I drove through the
area. Signs at the exit ramp still have not been replaced.
This is
definitely a new reassurance marker assembly after the I-291 exit in
Springfield.
Here's a better
photo of the 1-Mile Advance sign for the I-91/US 5 exit in Chicopee
prior to crossing the Connecticut River.
The new West
I-90/Mass Pike reassurance marker following the I-91/US 5 exit in West
Springfield.
The signage at
the split of ramps heading onto the Mass Pike from US 202/MA 10 in
Westfield has not been replaced either during the toll plaza demolition
contract or yet during sign replacement.
The new
post-interchange distance sign in Westfield features an I-91 shield.
The new version
of the overhead ramp signage for the I-91/US 5 exit and I-90 pull
through, put up last fall.
Previous Photos,
From March 2019:
Mile marker
installation has continued westward with this new one at the I-95
off-ramp in Weston confirming the future milepost based number, 123.
This post has
been placed after the lane drop in Weston for a future regulatory sign.
The new mile
marker for Mile 125 further west in Natick.
As has this new
marker for Mile 115 approaching the Framingham Service Plaza.
Speaking of the
Framingham Plaza, at least one support post is in place for future mixed
case sign to go behind the current one.
Support post in
place following the Route 9 interchange for new reassurance marker, also
seen after the Weston, Natick and I-495 interchanges.
The new Mile 110
mile marker is Westborough after the I-495 interchange.
The only new
post-interchange distance sign spotted was this one after the Route 122
exit in Millbury. I hope to have other new sign photos beyond Auburn in
early April.
Earlier photos
from December 2018:
Courtesy of Dan Murphy:
The 1/2 mile
advance sign for the Newton/Watertown exit has been corrected so the
arrow for the exit only lane appears over the correct lane (see August
26 photo for original sign arrow placement).
New mile markers
have made it as far east as mile 125, the 124 Mile with I-90 shield
above is in Weston before the still not replaced 1/2 mile advance sign
for the I-95 (128) exit.
Photos of new
signage between Framingham and Sturbridge from September 28, 2018:
Overhead advance
signage eastbound for I-84 was put up during the week of October 21 to
26. The 2-Mile Advance:
The 1-Mile
Advance, another diagrammatic, sorry for some raindrops:
The old sign is
still up in the distance, and the 1/2 mile advance sign
A closer view, if
you don't mind a guest appearance by one of my windshield wipers:
All the advance
signs for the Sturbridge exit are actually in Charlton, the Entering
Sturbridge sign can be seen after the right-hand overhead sign support
post. It appears that the signs (will be 2 and exit and a pull-through,
should also be up shortly with the support posts in place:
MassDOT put out a
traffic advisory for lane closures in Sturbridge the night of October
29-30 during which the new sign was placed (courtesy of Dan Murphy):
Another new sign
placed was for the exit ramp to I-290/Route 12/I-395 on the Pike
Eastbound in Auburn:
This is another
two sign on one cantilever support post, last seen in the Springfield
area.
A sign that has
been up a couple months, but which I finally got to take a photo of, is
the exit ramp sign for Route 9 in Framingham, also eastbound:
This completes
the new signs for this exit which now like Exits 10A, 11 and 17, have
all there new signage up for the eastern contract.
Some other
signage noticed, included this redundant use of signs advising traffic
of bridge height in Framingham, both ground-mounted and on the bridge:
This signage does
not appear for all the new bridges with the new street and city
identifying signs, here in Grafton:
Here's a
previously not photographed post-interchange distance sign on I-90 East
in Millbury with 2 interstate shields (first reference to I-95):
While the eastern
contractor has not put up new reassurance markers, regulatory signs, or
mileposts, there is evidence these are to be placed soon. Here's new
posts placed behind the current East Mass Pike/I-90 and speed limit sign
in Millbury:
As for
milemarkers, new ones have started appearing on bridge supports, but not
along the highway itself:
This is the
enhanced reference (shield) marker for Mile 100 on the Old Westboro Road
bridge in Grafton (also on westbound side).
No new overhead
signage yet for the remaining I-95/Weston exit eastbound, however, more
sign foundations have made their appearance:
Barely making an
appearance is this foundation for the future 1-Mile Advance sign. The
1/2 mile advance will go where the orange contractor tag is. I couldn't
see a foundation:
Photos of new
signage between Route 30 in Natick and Newton from September 16, 2018:
The only new
signs placed on the Pike since August are new MassDOT spec versions of
street and city name signs placed on bridges, in this case the Oak
Street bridge in Weston as seen heading west (the traffic jam was due to
both heavy traffic merging from 4 to 3 lanes ahead, but also a state
trooper pulling over a motorist in the left lane 2 miles further on).
The other
overhead advance signs for the I-95/Route 128 exit still have not been
put up. One reason is still not all the foundations have been placed.
Heading west, here's where the 1-Mile Advance sign support will go in
the future.
A little further
west is an installed sign foundation, but it looks too small, and is not
in the right place, to be for the I-95 exit.
Another example
of a new bridge sign just prior to the State Police barracks building
heading west toward Route 30.
Heading back
east:
Here's the tag
for the future 1/2 mile advance sign for the I-95/Route 128 exit, no
foundation here either, though there is one on the other side of the
highway (no photo).
No new exit signs
east of I-95/128. However, more bridge mounted street and city name
signs, this on the Woodland Road bridge in Newton.
Here's one for
Commonwealth Avenue. The traffic here due to the upcoming Red Sox game
and congestion at the ramp to the Newton/Watertown exit.
From the slow
Newton/Watertown off-ramp, a new sign for Centre Street in Newton.
The only new
overhead spotted were these guide signs at the ramp to I-90 West in
Newton.
Earlier Photos
from east of I-95/128 from August 2018:
New signage is
now up along the ramp to the Pike from I-95/128 North in Weston.
The new 1-mile
advance sign replaces a bridge mounted version to the other side of the
electronic toll gantry, the exit tab is big enough to hold a 3-digit
milepost based number, 128 in this instance.
The 1/2 mile
advance also replaces a bridge mounted sign.
The new ramp sign
remains, as the previous version, bridge mounted, perhaps because there
was no other place to mount the sign at this location. The signs for the
Allston-Brighton/Cambridge exit have not been replaced. After exiting:
Ramp signage,
here on Cambridge Street, has been replaced with the new standard of
I-90 shield before Mass Pike logo shield and Toll banner.
The new overheads
at the split of the ramps include a banner against hazardous material
carriers for eastbound Pike traffic.
Heading back
west:
The new 1-Mile
Advance Sign westbound for the Newton/Watertown exit includes a yellow
Exit Only banner and extra space for a 3-digit milepost based number.
The next new sign
has some oddities. First, it's the 1/2 mile advance, but has no
distance, second it appears the Exit Only arrow is pointing to the right
travel lane, not the exit lane. It might be seem that the ramp sign was
placed here incorrectly. However, a look at the sign plan shows that,
except for the exit number, the information on the sign is as designed:
So Perhaps its
just the sign gantry that is too long The sign at the exit ramp itself
has not been replaced, the plan for the two signs at that location is:
The next new sign
is at Route 16:
This replaces,
and nearly copies, the previous ramp sign which, due to the bridge
structure, has the route shield to the left, instead of on top of the
text, the advance signs have not been replaced. It does have a large tab
to fit a future milepost based number, 125, in this case.
The next, and
remaining only new sign, is for the I-95 (128) exit:
This 1 1/2 mile
advance sign is new, the next two 1 mile and 1/2 mile advance signs have
not been replaced. This sign is the same as that put up in the area of
the former Weston Toll Plaza. No mention of Route 128, as with the other
new signs. The last new sign spotted is along the Weston exit ramp:
This too removes
any reference to Route 128, no auxiliary signage here either. It appears
the only reference to 128 when sign replacement is complete will be two
signs mounted on a bridge 1/4 mile previous to this sign that were
simple exact duplicates of the previous ones and replaced under the AET
toll demolition contract. These have both I-95 and 128 shields but
simply listed North Shore and South Shore as destinations.
Earlier photos
from June 21, 2018:
Happy Summer with
a view from on-ramp to the Pike West in Weston showing new paving
project and the back of new overhead sign gantry put up the previous
night (front view below):
Plus the
addition of 2 new signs for the I-95 exit eastbound in Weston:
The 2-mile
overhead features a diagrammatic sign showing the split into 2 lanes for
the I-95 exit. No more Route 128 due to FHWA guidance and extra space
for a 3-digit milepost based exit number.
The next new
signs are at the exit ramp, the pull through now has I-90 before the
Mass Pike logo while the I-95 sign features new control cities of
Portsmouth, NH and Providence, RI.
Also a photo of
new signs at the split from the Route 30 on-ramp in Natick:
Previous Photos
from June 2:
Heading westbound
and the first glimpse of the new Route 30 overhead signs:
The 1/2 mile
advance:
and the sign at
the exit:
Heading
eastbound, the 1-mile Advance overhead:
The 1/2 mile
advance:
And the exit ramp
sign:
New foundations
have been placed for future overhead signs in Weston for the I-95 exit,
however there does not seem to be one yet at the 1-Mile advance site:
The existing gore
sign at the I-95/Route 128 exit, not changed but now joined by a yellow
split lanes warning sign. These are appearing at other exit ramps around
the state.
Photos from April
20, 2018:
The first two
photos are not from I-90, but I-84 getting another view of the first two
Massachusetts Arrow-per-Lane signs:
Here's another
photo for the next sign, this time taken from the perspective of the
I-84 travel lanes, the signs at the ramp split (to be put up as part of
the sign replacement contract, as will the I-84 interchange signs on
I-90 West), have not been replaced.
The only new
signs to take photos of west of I-84 were at Exit 2 in Lee, not all had
been replaced, this one had been modified at least:
Here's the 1-mile
advance of the US 20 exit:
And the 1/2 mile
advance sign, the last new exit sign westbound on the Mass Pike:
Here's another
photo of the US 20 exit sign, not replaced, and maybe MassDOT decided it
didn't need to (or the contractor hasn't gotten to it, and will do it
when the new Exit 1 signs are put up).
It doesn't appear
this blue services sign has been updated either (not all the signs were
to be changed under the replacement contract):
Here's the Mile
10 marker installed under the sign replacement contract (mile markers
along the right-side west of the Westfield River have been removed since
July 2017 leaving about a 5 mile gap in markers at that location):
As indicated, the
advance exit signs for the West Stockbridge exit still have not been
replaced, here's the 1-Mile Advance sign:
The only new
overhead signs are at the exit itself, these were put up as part of the
AET initiative/Toll Plaza Demolition project:
A couple more
photos, this new example of one of the new bridge-mounted street/route
and town signs put up between Auburn and the NY border:
And the 1-Mile
marker heading toward the New York border:
Photos from March
22, 2018:
Here are a couple
new town line signs spotted between I-495 and Route 122 in Millbury:
Notice the new
signs have adopted the MassDOT policy of eliminating the -ugh from the
town names, the previous practice of the complete name can be seen on
the older sign to the left. Here's the new town sign for Grafton (also a
new sign for Upton, not shown):
The new town name
policy also extends to Service Plazas. The former Westborough Plaza is
now Westboro:
Here is an
earlier photo trying to show the installation of a overhead sign
foundation for the I-95 Weston exit eastbound along westbound I-90 just
after the merge from the I-95/128 ramps:
The foundation is
under the orange cone to the right of the contractor sign placement tag
but hidden by the guardrail.
Previous Photos
A trip on January
15 indicates more signs could be put up before the winter season is
over. Heading east from Weston, there are overhead sign foundations now
up for the Route 30 Natick exit. Here's the foundation for the 1-Mile
Advance sign:
Here's the
foundation for the future 1/2 mile advance sign:
There's also a
foundation at the exit itself, not photographed. As for new signs they
show up starting in Framingham:
Followed by a new
1/2 mile advance sign:
Traveling in the
shoulder due to a bridge project prior to the Route 9 interchange.
There's also new sign at the exit itself:
Heading on to
I-495, signs previously photographed by Benjamin Long. Here's the 2-Mile
Advance overhead:
Again, these have
new destinations or control cities replacing the NH-Maine, Cape Cod text
of the previous signs, the 1-Mile Advance:
The Cape Cod
destination is to appear on an auxiliary sign, but that, as well as most
other new ground-level signage, has not been put up east of I-290, the
existing auxiliary sign:
And finally, the
1/2 mile advance sign, no new signage yet at the interchange itself:
Lastly westbound,
another view of the new Route 122 exit sign, this time from the exit
ramp:
Headed back east
and the 2-Mile Advance overhead for I-495:
The 1-Mile
Advance sign:
The 1/2 mile
advanced sign has an Exit Only tab for the upcoming off-ramp:
There is no new
signage for the exit ramp, but there is new signage on the ramp itself
put up as part of the AET Toll Plaza demolition project:
As can be noted
the old gore sign is still standing, here and at other exit ramps east
of Worcester. Now onto Framingham, the 1-Mile advance for Route 9:
The new 1/2 mile
advance overhead, the exit ramp sign eastbound has not been replaced:
Unlike westbound,
there appears that no foundations have been dug for the Route 30
overhead signs, meaning the placement of these signs will have to wait
until Spring, for the 1-mile advance:
and at the tag
for the 1/2 mile advance sign:
There was one
foundation in place for the 1/2 mile advance sign for the I-95 Weston
exit, but it appears the placement of these signs will have to wait
until Spring too.
Here are earlier
photos of new signs put up between I-495 and Route 9 in December, photos
courtesy of Benjamin Long. First heading west toward I-495, the control
cities changed (as seen in the plans below) from NH-Maine/Cape Cod to
Portsmouth, NH and Taunton (these destinations will be listed on an
auxiliary sign):
The 1/2 mile
advance sign for I-495 includes a next exit distance tab (used when the
next exit is 10 miles or greater in distance):
The exit tabs are
long enough to have a future 3-digit exit number (106). The signs at the
exit have not been replaced. Heading back east toward Route 9:
There are also no
new exit signs at the interchange itself. The exit tabs will be able to
hold the proposed 3-digit number (111) when the switch to milepost based
numbering occurs.
Other previous
photos:
For example, this
photo taken in mid-October looking west at Exit 2 in Lee, appears to
show a new eastbound exit sign (with a tab on bottom indicating next
exit is 30 miles distant). New signs are now going up in the eastern
project area, see photos below:
The back of
two new signs on I-90 East can seen at Exit 3 in Westford:
Sign photos from November 18 Road Trip:
Actual progress
in the eastern project zone can now be reported. New overhead signs have
gone up for Exits 10A and 11 and new foundations are in place for most
of the upcoming signage, at least heading west, between Weston and
I-495. First, the new signs photos. Heading west, here's the new 1-Mile
advance sign for the Route 122 exit:
The new 1/2 mile
advance sign:
And, as seen in
the distance, the new overhead at the off-ramp, notice for each of the
signs the exit tab seems to be set up for a larger milepost based number
(96):
The next new set
of signs are for the Route 146/US 20 exit in Worcester, starting with
the 1-Mile Advance, per new MassDOT guidance, the state abbreviation has
been added to the Providence text:
Next the 1/2 mile
advance sign in front of the one of the higher bridges over the Pike:
And finally, the
signage at the exit ramp:
Heading
Eastbound-
I turned around
in Auburn, the overhead off-ramp signage for the I-290/I-395/Route 12
exit still has not been updated (nor, from traffic camera views, the
signage for the I-84 Sturbridge exit). Here's the 1-Mile advance sign
for Exit 10 A (there is a 2-mile advance sign for this exit, but it is
not being replaced based on the project plans, the old sign still
stands, as does the earlier 1/2 mile advance sign for Exit 10 going the
other way):
One of the new
overheads for the Auburn exit can be seen to the left. The difference in
design for the the cantilever supports is due to MassDOT letting each
contractor determine the design. It appears Roadsafe Systems, the
western project contractor, prefers a one pole support for sing, while
Liddell Bros., the eastern contractor, prefers the "many pole" version.
The 1/2 mile advance:
And the sign at
the exit ramp, seen in the distance above:
The exit tab is
longer to accommodate the 2 digits and letter, the future milepost
number, 94, will make the tab appear to big, unless it is change. The
gore sign in the distance has not been replaced. Moving on to the Route
122 1-Mile Advance:
The contractor's
sign placement tag still present indicating this was only recently
installed. On to the 1/2 mile advance with an additional next exit
distance tab:
Given the smaller
distances between the remaining exits, this is the last sign of this
type heading East. Finally, here's the signage at the exit ramp:
The gore sign
here too has not been replaced. This is the last of the new signage.
There is some progress to report for the I-495 exit in that it appears
all the foundations for the new overhead signs has been placed. Here's
the foundation for the future 1-Mile Advance sign:
The foundation
mostly hidden by the guardrail to the right of the orange contractor
tag. There is new signage along the I-495 ramp due to the Toll Plaza
demolition project. Here's the ramp signage prior to the merge of
off-ramps for I-90 West traffic:
The signage uses
what will be the new control cities on the Pike Exit 11 signage:
Portsmouth NH and Taunton. Lowell and Cape Cod will be on auxiliary
signs. Here the signage heading through what was the former toll plaza
area, complete with shields painted on the roadbed:
There are also
new signs at the other end of the eastern project due to the Toll Plaza
demolition project. This includes the 1-Mile Advance sign for the
Allston-Brighton/Cambridge exit on I-90 West in Boston. Both new signs
lack an exit tab.
The next advance
sign (without a distance) lacks an exit tab too. The reason is unknown,
perhaps waiting for the new milepost numbers, or the tab had the
existing Exit 20 number, but with the removal of the toll plaza, perhaps
MassDOT wanted to change the number to 18 to match the eastbound exit?
Here's some of
the new signage on the off-ramp as seen from I-90 West:
Other signs of
progress on the eastern project include new overhead sign placement tags
along the stretch between Boston and Weston, including this one for the
1/2 mile advance for the Newton/Watertown exit:
There are also
now sign foundations in place further west between Weston and I-495,
such as this for a Route 9 off-ramp sign:
Again, partially
hidden behind the guardrail prior to the exit ramp. Also a foundation
spotted prior to the I-495 exit:
Sign photos from October 14 and 15 Road Trip:
I traveled
between Exits 9 and 3 going westbound on the 14th documenting the new
signage since the last road trip. The diagrammatic signage for the I-84
Sturbridge exit has not been installed. Though new signs have been
placed at the site of the former Sturbridge toll plaza at the end of
I-84 East. This is one of two new Arrow-per-Lane (APL) signs, the first
ones put up in Massachusetts:
Back on the Pike
westbound, there was a new exit sign for the Palmer Exit, Route 32:
It appears that
all the destination mileage signs have been replaced, here's the one
following Exit 8. The distances have changed from the earlier sign which
read Ludlow 7, Springfield 10 (no reference to Albany). It appears
MassDOT decided to correct the distance to the Ludlow exit, it is 8
miles, and to use I-91 for Springfield which is 17 miles away instead of
I-291:
New signage for
Exit 7, Route 21 in Ludlow, is also all installed, starting with the
1-Mile Advance sign:
And proceeding
with the 1/2 mile and ramp exit signs:
As can be seen on
the left of the above photo, new mile markers have been placed along the
left shoulder heading west from Mile 92 in Auburn. Where the median is
narrow the markers also have eastbound numbers, but these have not been
installed on wide medians eastbound, here's the Mile 50 marker in
Chicopee:
The Ludlow
Service Plaza has a new mixed case entrance gore sign:
Getting back to
the exit signs, there are new signage for the advanced signage for
I-291, Exit 6:
There are a
couple auxiliary signs between the 2 and 1 Mile Advance overheads (and
temporary sign due to I-91 Viaduct construction):
Here are the
remaining 1-Mile and 1/2 Mile advance signs:
The exit ramp
signage, being on an overhead over the entire roadway, has not been
replaced, this includes the 2-Mile 'CT' 33 2-Mile advance sign for Exit
5.
Here's the
reassurance marker following Exit 5:
The Route 33
advance signage has been replaced, starting with the 1-Mile Advance:
and concluding
with the 1/2 mile advance, the ramp signage still needs to be replaced:
The next new sign
is the 2-Mile Advance for the I-91 exit:
There are also
auxiliary signs for Exit 4, one brown one for the Springfield Armory:
And a green one
for Amherst / UMass (or is that UMass Amherst?):
The other advance
sign is also up, the 1-Mile, seen below:
There is also a
new ramp sign, because it uses only 1 support, despite having 2 signs:
All the signage
for the US 202/Route 10 exit in Westfield has also been installed,
starting with the 1-Mile Advance:
The 1/2 mile
advance with the important added tab that the next exit is 30 miles
away:
And the ramp
signage, where I turned around to head back toward Springfield (see the
AET section for photos of the former Exit 3 Toll Plaza):
Turning back
Eastbound
Starting with the
first reassurance marker before the Westfield AET gantry:
The first new
overhead sign is the 2-Mile advance for I-91:
There is a brown
auxiliary sign up for the Springfield Armory:
There's also an
auxiliary sign for US 5, but if it's new does the US 5 shield need
to be there since its on the overhead signs, and if it's old, why has it
not been removed? Behind it is the 1-Mile Advance sign for I-91/US 5:
And the final new
sign for Exit 4, the 1/2 Mile Advance:
The next new sign
is the 1-Mile Advance for MA 33:
There is an
auxiliary sign for Westover Airport/Air Force Base:
Followed by the
1/2 Mile Advance:
The overhead sign
at the exit ramp has not been change since its a 2-sign gantry
containing the 2-Mile I-291 Advance Sign. The next new sign is the
1-Mile Advance for I-291:
This is followed
by a new 1/2 mile advance, the exit sign is also on a 2-sign gantry and
has not been replaced:
Heading to
Ludlow, here is the first of 3 new signs, the 1-Mile Advance:
Then the 1/2 mile
advance:
There is a
cantilever at the MA 21 exit as well:
There is also a
new exit ramp sign to go with the previously placed advance signs for
the MA 32 in Palmer:
All the remaining
advance signs for I-84 have also been put up, the 1-Mile:
And the 1/2 mile
advance:
There is also a
new auxiliary sign for US 20, Sturbridge:
The new signage
for the Auburn exit are in previous photos below.
So, what about
the eastern contract (Exits 10A to 20)? Not much to report, the only new
things noticed outside of I-95 are a couple of sign foundations. Here's
one westbound in Millbury:
And a last-minute
shot of one heading eastbound with contractor tag prior to the I-495
interchange:
The only other
new thing to report eastbound is the new traffic pattern at the
I-95/Route 128 interchange, where there are now 2 thru lanes and two
exit lanes:
The only new sign
that has been placed is westbound prior to the Allston-Brighton exit,
and its placement is due to the toll plaza demolition project, not the
sign replacement contract. Here's a photo of the sign from a MassDOT
traffic camera:
Earlier signage photos taken on September 27, 2017
These are from a
short trip from Boston to Weston to see if there were any more
indications regarding sign replacements in that stretch. A couple
contractor tags were spotted, including here 1-Mile before the
Newton/Watertown exit:
No other tags
were spotted westbound, so I decided to re-take photos of the I-95 exit
signs that were previously taken looking into the sun in late afternoon.
Here is the first 1-Mile advance with the new exit tab for the 2 new
ramps, due to the new location, the distance to the first ramp is more
like 1 1/2 miles. The lanes were closed due to construction under the
bridges prior to and after the I-95 ramp.
Here's the '1/2
mile' advance signage with the reformatted exit tab. The I-95 shield is
fading fast:
Here's another
look at the first ramp signage at the site of the former Weston Toll
Plaza:
And another view
of the signage at the I-95 ramp with the exit tabs able to accommodate a
future 3-digit exit number.
MassDOT's Toll
Demolition Project page had indicated new signage would be put up on the
ramps to I-95 from I-90 the week of September 18-22, they did, however,
it simply matches the old signage and therefore will not match
destinations of the new sign replacement contract signs that will be put
up in 2018:
Previous photos taken August 27, 2017:
I took the Mass
Pike from I-95/128 west to Route 9 in Framingham and back east from
I-495 to Weston. Not much new to report, I did get a few more contractor
overhead sign tags. Most of the exits now have them, though there were
no foundations dug at any of the locations I passed. Here's a tag for
the 1-Mile advance sign for Route 30 heading west:
The current sign
is around the corner. I also notice a new tag at the Route 30 exit. The
new sign will be after the existing one:
As for Route 9,
there now is a tag at the exit, also after the existing sign but still
before the bridge:
Heading back east
from I-495, noticed a couple new tags for Route 9, while no tag for
1-Mile, here's the 1/2 mile advance tag after the current sign:
And at the exit
itself, also beyond the current sign:
I also got a
photo I missed before of the 1-Mile advance tag at the Route 30 exit in
Natick, this one before the current sign:
Also got a photo
of a possible new tag at the exit ramp, this one behind the current
sign:
Approaching the
I-95/Route 128 interchange in Weston, the placement tag for the 2-Mile
Sign is behind the current sign that is bridge-mounted:
The sign will be
after the bridge and around the curve seen above:
Here's a better
photo of the previous spotted 1-Mile Advance sign for the I-95/Route 128
exit:
Previous Photos
As of August 25,
2017. The contractor on the western project has placed some of, if not
all, new exit signs for Exits 3, and 5-10.
Here's two photos
taken by MassDOT traffic cameras showing the backs, unfortunately, of
new signage at Exit 3 in Westfield.
This view shows
the ramp signage for I-90 East, image was taken on August 23:
This view shows
new 1/2 mile advance (in the distance) and exit ramp signage (the latter
has taken the place of a bridge-mounted sign) for I-90 West:
Photos taken July
10, 2017 showing newly placed overhead signage for the Auburn,
Sturbridge and Palmer exits (8-10):
There are also
new 1 Mile and 1/2 Mile Advance overheads:
The 1/2 mile
indicates mileage to the next exit (I-84):
The signs at the
interchange itself have not been replaced, here's an example of some of
the auxiliary signage:
There is also an
auxiliary sign for MA 12, though the overhead sign plan was revised to
include it:
There are no new
overhead signs for the I-84 / Sturbridge exit, nor does it appear that
foundations have been dug. The next new signs are at the Palmer Exit for
MA 32:
There's also a
new overhead 1/2 mile advance sign:
Again, the signs
at the exit ramps have not been replace, there are no new overheads
westbound. There are new destination mileage signs using route shields
instead of text:
They are also
installing new signs on all the bridges identifying the street and
city/town:
Heading back East
Again, there are
new signs for the Palmer exit:
There is also an
1/2 mile advance, but no new signage at the exit ramps:
There appears to
be room for a milepost based number to be placed in the future, as seen
on this sign plan:
For the I-84
exit, there is one new overhead sign heading east, the 2-Mile advance
sign:
As with the MA 32
signs, there appears to be room for changing to a milepost based number,
as seen in this sign plan:
There are 3 new
signs eastbound for the Auburn exit:
Here a photo of
the first 2-Mile advance sign, thanks to Shaun Ganley:
The 1-Mile
advance sign:
and here's the
1/2 mile advance sign:
Here's the sign
plan with the proposed milepost based number, and without MA 12, later
revised, though as seen the auxiliary sign was not changed:
Thanks to
Charlene White of MassDOT, I obtained the sign plans for this contract
with their original new milepost numbers. Here are the 1 mile advance
signs for all the remaining exits without new signs in the contract area
going west to east:
The current exit
sign includes MA Route 128, however with the Mass Pike now under
jurisdiction of MassDOT, their signing practice, mandated by the FHWA,
to remove 128 shields from overhead signs takes precedence. There are
also no plans showing any auxiliary, or trailblazers for 128 to be
placed at this exit.
Here's the newly
placed westbound version of the sign, first at the (To) MA 30 exit:
This differs
slightly from the sign plan for the replacement contract:
As can be seen in
the photo there is room on the exit tabs future 3-digit milepost based
numbering. There are 2 exit ramps, A and B. Here's signage for the new
I-95 ramp, currently Exit 15B:
The advance signs
for the exits were not changed, just a new suffixed exit tab was added:
As can be seen
above, and in this photo of the gore sign for the MA 30 exit, there
appears to be room for a 3-digit number:
Here's the plan
for the new interchange configuration opened in early July 2017 after
the toll plazas are removed, the new ramp to MA 30 is referred to as
Ramp K in this diagram1 from MassDOT:
The 1-Mile
advance in this case is 1 1/4 miles before the exit.
The contract will
only replace the Allston-Brighton exit signs eastbound, the blanket
contract changing all the other exit numbers in the state is responsible
for new exit number signage further east:
The final new
sign will be a new pull through for I-90:
Here are some of
the ground-mounted auxiliary signage that will be put up:
With Cape Cod
removed from the main exit signs, there will be this supplemental sign
put up before the I-495 exit:
While there is no
mention of MA 128 on an auxiliary sign, this will be placed eastbound
before the I-95 exit:
Trucks with
hazardous materials will also be told they have to use the I-95 exit:
There will also
be other signs related to towns, historic places, schools and Park and
Ride facilities:
There will also
be a sign for Fenway Park before the Allston-Brighton exit. Currently,
there's a similar sign before the Prudential/Copley Square exit further
east (Future Exit 133):
There was also
this sign in the plans for exits not in the project zone:
The first
contract awarded covers the route from the NY border to Exit 10 in
Auburn and was let on August 18, 2015 and got the notice to proceed on
October 23, 2015. Thanks
again to Charlene White of MassDOT, I obtained the sign plans for this
contract. Here are the 1 mile advance signs for all the exits in the
contract area:
Here's
the new 1/2 mile advance for the I-84 Exit Westbound:
As currently
there will be 2 Mile advance signs with the same text as the 1 Mile
signs.
Here's
what the standard 1/2 mile advance signs look like, for the US 202/MA
10 Exit in Westfield:
If the distance
to the next exit is more than 10 miles, the signs will include a next
exit distance tab on the bottom:
A couple examples
of standard signing at the off-ramps or gore points:
There
will also be ground mounted auxiliary signage with route numbers
removed from the main overhead signage. For example, US 20 was taken
from the main Exit 78 signs, and instead will be on this sign:
MassDOT
also planned something similar for Exit 90 where MA 12 was to be
removed from the main signage:
However,
after comments received criticizing the removal, since there is a
direct ramp to MA 12 at the exit, MassDOT plans to restore MA 12 to
the overhead signs.
Here's
a few miscellaneous signs, including local on-ramp, distance, and
town-line:
Previous
documents on the MassDOT website provided signage plans for two exits,
I-91 in Springfield:
Which is Exit 4,
but will now be Exit 46, and for the exit for I-290 and I-395 on the
eastern end of the project:
Which is
currently Exit 10, but will become Exit 90.
From Addenda # 3
to the second signing contract, the winner to be announced on February
23, here is the standard mile marker plan:
I will plan to post more sign plans when the plans for Part 2 are
released around April, and then new Exit Sign photos, here in the
future.
PHOTOS (7/9/2017)
As of the middle
of July, the western project is at least 40% complete. In addition to
the several overhead signs (see above) there has been progress in
installing auxiliary, regulatory signage along the roadside and street
identification signs on bridge overpasses from the NY border to just
beyond Sturbridge as well as installing support foundations for
additional overhead signs (a truck parked in the median near Springfield
on July 9 had at least a dozen sign support posts ready to be
installed). Here's examples of some of the above:
An auxiliary sign
for MA 12 Auburn prior to the I-290/MA 12/I-395 interchange (only Auburn
is needed on the sign since MA 12 is now included on the overhead
signs):
A new destination
mileage sign with an I-84 shield replacing text in the previous version:
An example of the
bridge signs identifying the crossing street and city/town:
The current old
sign at the US 20 Exit in Lee, not in dire need of replacing:
Here are photos
taken on June 4, 2017 showing examples of the new signage between Auburn
and Sturbridge:
New signage has
been placed for the Charlton Service plazas east and westbound, here is
a new sign without any information 1 Mile from the westbound plaza:
New gore signs
have also been placed at the Service Plaza entrances, the new signs
feature a mixture of upper and lowercase letters, here westbound:
and at the
eastbound plaza:
As for auxiliary
exit signage, new signs have been placed with the existing exit numbers.
Here's the sign for US 20 at Exit 9 where the new overhead will only
have I-84 listed:
Heading back
east, here's one of the new auxiliary signs for Exit 10 in Auburn:
Another sign has
a listing for MA 12, though MassDOT has changed the plan for the
overhead signs and will place a MA 12 shield on them as well:
In addition the
project has begun replacing the destination mileage signs which had all
text, to new ones with route shields, here after the Charlton Service
Plaza:
and another just
beyond the Auburn exit:
The Eastern
Section has shown less progress, still listed at 13% as it was in June
2017, though it's not supposed to be completed until 2018. More progress
has been made in placing orange future overhead sign tags by the
contractor, but little else.
Heading west,
here's a tag at the existing 1-Mile advance sign for Route 30 in Natick:
They are all
marked at the Route 9 exit, as seen below, and at the I-495 interchange:
There are also
tags at the MA 122 exit in Millbury, here along with a completed sign
support foundation.
Though, there are
none present at the MA 146/US 20 exit in Worcester:
Heading back east
there are tags for the MA 146/US 20 exit, at least for the 1-Mile
advance overhead:
Heading on, there
are tags approaching Route 122 in Millbury, this one behind the current
sign:
Tags were present
approaching the I-495 interchange, before the current sign which is
definitely showing its age:
The sign at the
interchange itself though is not as old, but will be replaced anyway and
have new destinations (control cities):
Inside I-495,
tags are more sporadic, only one still spotted for Route 9 in
Framingham, there were a couple though for the Route 30 exit in Natick:
Since I traveled
through in June however, a couple tags have appeared near the current
overhead signs for the I-95/128 exit in Weston (including this one for
the 1-Mile Advance only noticed at the last minute, thus the blurred
image):
No tags were
observed further east for the Newton exit.
Earlier photos
from September 2016
For the western
project, as of late September 2016, the only progress seen is the
installation of the 2/10 reference, or mile markers. Only the 2/10
markers west of Mile 40 have been installed. Here's the marker at Mile
40:
This is the only
I-90 shield marker spotted, the rest of the Turnpike only had the 2/10
mile markers installed with the existing 1-Mile and .5 mile markers
remaining in place. Most are in the center median except for a short
stretch in Russell near the Westfield River where there is an older
concrete median barrier, these had been removed the next time I drove
through in April 2018:
They are not of
the design as seen in the plans above, like other MassDOT markers, but
have larger vertically placed numbers.
On the eastern
project, the only evidence of future work is the orange tags placed by
the contractor, Liddell Bros. to indicate the future site of new
overhead signs supports:
As of 10/14, the
new sign tags had made it as far west as Millbury:
The only new
signage seen on the Pike this year are the new 'Go Time' Real Time
Traffic Management System signs being installed by MassDOT all over the
state. Here's the newly placed, but still inactive sign, approaching
I-495 on I-90 West in Framingham:
More photos for
the Mass Pike and other interstates, along with the sign plans are
available on my Misc. Massachusetts Sign
Photos Page.
B. Electronic Tolling Conversion (2015-2017)
MassDOT has
converted the Mass Pike to Electronic Tolling, meaning tolls will be
taken automatically either through EZ-Pass accounts of through billing
by mail based on a photograph of a vehicle's license plate. The system
was activated at 10:15 PM on 10/28/16. The next day work started on
demolishing the former toll plazas, to be completed by the end of
2017.
Latest Photos
taken on November 18, 2017
MassDOT announced
in early November that most of the work in the former toll plaza areas
had been completed and all lanes in their final configurations were open
to traffic. This included removing the pavement from the former Weston
westbound plaza ramp for I-95/Route 128 traffic and landscaping the area
with trees and grass that was starting to grow as seen here to the
right:
A closer view of
the new landscaped area:
Previous Photos
from October 14 and 15, 2017:
Traveled through
several of the former toll plazas on road trip that weekend. Starting
with Exit 10 in Auburn:
New signage had
been placed in the former toll plaza area ahead of the Route 12 exit,
while some temporary signage remained.
The contract for
replacing the signage around the toll plazas was given to Lidell Bros.
of Halifax, the same agency responsible for replacing the signs east of
Auburn.
The signage at
the Route 12 exit itself had not been changed, possibly that is part of
the I-90 Sign Replacement Project, not the Toll Demolition contract.
The next former
toll plaza visited was in Westfield for the exit to US 202 and Route 10.
Trailblazers are up in the former toll plaza area:
Notice the
jumbled numbers in the right-hand sign. Heading through the site of the
former toll plaza itself:
Here's a view of
the signs seen in the distance above. Route shields are on an atypical
thin sign set up:
Here's the
signage at the Mass Pike entrance put up with the start of electronic
tolling:
A view heading
back through the site of the former toll plaza showing some
reconstruction work remains to be completed:
The next toll
plaza was for I-91/US 5 in West Springfield. New signage has not been
put up just after the site of the former plaza:
However, new
signage was spotted on the ramp to the I-91 exits, perhaps part of the
sign replacement project:
New signage was
also up on the old supports at the split of the two ramps:
At the Sturbridge
Toll Plaza, the major change is the installation of new Arrow-Per-Lane
signs (also posted above). These signs are part of the toll demolition
project and not of the I-90 sign replacement project:
The last photo is
of a new reassurance marker spotted at the site of the Weston Toll Plaza
heading east. The placement of the Pike logo and I-90 shields is the
opposite to the others on the roadway:
Earlier photos
taken on September 27, 2017
Took a quick trip
along the Pike East from I-93 to Weston to check on toll demolition
progress. Here's traffic at the Allston-Brighton exit approaching the
former toll plaza site:
Now heading under
the bridge to where the toll plaza stood:
And the view at
the former toll plaza site itself, near final paving had taken place:
The area where at
the on-ramp from Allston-Brighton to I-90 East appeared complete:
Photos from
August 27, 2017
Again going
through the Weston Toll Plaza from I-95/128 North, the plaza area has
now been paved and awaiting final lane painting. Here's the view
approaching the split from I-95 North:
The view
approaching the former toll plaza location:
View of traveling
through location of former toll booths:
After the former
toll booth location traffic merges from I-95/Route 128 South into
2-lanes to enter the Mass Pike lanes:
Moving on to the
Route 9 toll plaza, the permanent overhead signs that MassDOT said would
be placed on August 23 and 24 were not present, instead I took photos of
the temporary signage:
Here's the
temporary signage at the ramp splitting to East and West Route 9:
They were also to
place permanent signage at the I-495 interchange, not there either, this
is the ground-level temp signage:
Back at Weston
heading east, here's the view of the recently repaved merge of the new
ramp from I-90/Mass Pike East to I-95/Route 128:
Finally, view at
site of former toll plaza heading toward ramps to I-95/Route 128 North
and South, the signage in the distance is to be replaced under the
current I-90 Sign Replacement Project by Spring 2018:
Previous Photos
taken on June 4, 2017:
A look driving
through the Weston Toll Plazas on the ramp from I-95/128 to I-90 West:
Another view
after crossing through the site of the former toll booths:
Further west the
former plaza in Westborough for traffic getting on I-495:
View taking ramp
from I-290 West to I-90 in Auburn:
Around the corner
is the former toll plaza area:
And finally at
the I-84 interchange in Sturbridge, the view from the ramp from I-90
West:
Here's a closer
look at the site of the former toll booths:
Turning around
and heading back to the Mass Pike, the view from I-84 East:
The view at the
former toll booth site. MassDOT says project is on schedule to be
completed by the end of 2017:
Here's a photo
put on their Twitter account by MassDOT showing progress in completing
work at the western end of the Pike at Exit 1 in Stockbridge on June 14,
2017:
Previous photos:
Here's photos to
compare the process at the Weston Toll Plaza for the I-95/128 ramps, the
first taken on October 30, 2016 the next on January 1, 2017:
A closer view
shows pieces of the former toll plaza being picked up to loaded into
trucks to be hauled away in October, gone in January:
The demolished
toll booth materials were dumped across from the westbound entrance ramp
to MA 30 and later were being covered over with soil:
New traffic
patterns were set up at each toll plaza to direct traffic away from the
booths being demolished. This is on I-90 East heading toward the now
closed Weston Toll Plaza in November, then January 2017:
View looking west
after the former Toll Plaza and merge with I-95/128 Traffic:
Here's what the
traffic set up is for those exiting I-90 East heading toward I-95/128 in
Weston:
The center toll
plazas had been demolished by Sunday morning November 27. Here's the
remaining booths at the former E-Z Pass lanes heading toward the
I-95/128 ramps from I-90 East:
Here's the toll
booths at the Framingham Route 9 entrance being readied for demolition
on Saturday afternoon, they were gone by Sunday evening:
In addition to
the toll plaza demolition, new signs went up at each Mass Pike entrance
to indicate the toll highway no longer accepted cash. The signs feature
a purple banner on top indicating payment is either through E-ZPass or
Pay-By-Plate where a photo will be taken of the car's license plate and
a bill sent to the driver. Here's the sign at the Weston entrance from
Route 30:
Here's new
signage put up along MA 30 West approaching the ramps to both I-90/Mass
Pike and I-95:
Here's a much
larger sign on Route 30 East in Natick:
Here's the sign
on Route 9 East in Framingham:
In addition, new
signs have gone up on the Turnpike at each gantry location indicating
the toll rates for that location:
Previous Photos
The first sign of
this conversion is the placement of overhead gantries for the automatic
toll collections starting in the fall of 2015. By February 2015, several
gantries were up, as seen in these photos:
This is the first
gantry seen westbound when entering the Mass Pike at the I-95/MA 128
interchange in Weston, this a couple miles to the west near the State
Police Barracks. Here's a closer view:
The next gantry
traveling west was just after the Framingham Service Plaza between the
MA 30 and MA 9 exits:
The next gantry,
just recently placed, is after the MA 9 exit and before the exit to
I-495:
Here's a new
photo of the gantry placed after the I-495 Exit in Westborough:
There were to
other gantries in the process of going up, but with just support poles
up as of the end of February, the first was after the I-495 exit, and
the other one was between the I-290/I-395 and I-84 exits prior to the
Charlton Service Plaza, seen here:
Here's the
completed gantry taken on September 24:
More
photos taken of gantries to the west the same date, here's the first
after the lanes drop from 3 to 2 in Palmer:
There are
gantries beyond Springfield as well, here in Westfield:
The next gantry
is in Lee just before the current Exit 2:
Here's
a closeup of the last gantry westbound just before the current Exit 1
in West Stockbridge:
The
electronic tolls are to become active on October 28, 2016. Afterwards,
the toll barrier at West Stockbridge, seen here:
As well as all
other toll booths are to be demolished, the work to be completed by the
end of 2017.
MassDOT has
received word that some people are slowing down at the toll gantries
causing safety problems, they started installing gantry information
signs, covered up prior to AET activation, near each gantry, starting on
the western half of the Pike. Here's the sign furthest east, near
Sturbridge, as of 10/14/16:
Finally, here are
some photos taken on what will be my final drive through Mass Pike Toll
Plazas, first the Allston-Brighton Tolls:
Here's a photo
taken on April 17, showing location of former plaza beyond the bridge:
And a closeup of
work going on along the right side of the former plaza:
And from the
location of the former plaza about to go under one of the interchange
ramps:
Next is the toll
plaza in Weston at the I-95/MA 128 Junction:
The next 3 photos
show how it appeared on April 17, 2017:
Traffic is now
using two lanes through the former I-95 exit toll plaza (the sign to
I-95/Route 128 still up) while through traffic uses the right side of
the former Weston tolls.
The 2 former
lanes from I-90/Mass Pike west to the I-95 interchange are temporarily
reduced to one while the off-ramps are reconstructed. There will be 2
separate ramps, one for I-95 (128) and one for Route 30.
This overhead
assembly is most likely to be removed after the interchange is
reconfigured. I-95/128 and Route 30 traffic will no longer share the
same ramp.
Lastly, here's
one of the smaller toll plazas to be taken down, for the MA 21 Exit in
Ludlow:
C.
Miscellaneous Photos
Entrance sign on
MA 30 in Weston:
Entrance sign on
MA 21 in Ludlow:
Painted shields
prior to the I-84/Sturbridge exit heading west:
An overhead for
the I-90 Mass Pike Exit, featuring Pike logo, on I-95/128 North:
Scenery headed
east toward the West Stockbridge toll plaza in September 2016:
Prior to new
signs being installed, MassDOT replaced aging shields on signs for Exit
10 in Auburn:
Mass Pike/I-90
Trailblazers along ramp to I-90 from MA 30 in Weston:
Notes:
1. MassDOT. 2016.
Handout for Design Public Hearing for the Proposed Demolition of Legacy
Toll Plazas Along I-90 District 6, MASSDOT Project No. 607582, Weston
Town Hall, 6/22/16. Downloaded from:
http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/Portals/8/docs/hearings/ho_weston062216.pdf
© Robert H. Malme 2015-2020
