P. Gioioso used state-of-the-art accelerated bridge construction techniques to slide a new bridge into place in a 48-hour window, minimizing disruption of the MBTA commuter rail below and vehicular traffic on busy Route 18 in Abington, MA. MassDOT was looking to relieve traffic congestion, improve safety and replace a functionally obsolete bridge on this stretch of Route 18 that sees 40,000 vehicles per day.

 

Our crews constructed a new bridge adjacent to the existing one, then demolished the old bridge. To move the new bridge into place they coordinated setting up the sliding equipment and slid the new 5-million-pound bridge onto its permanent bearings. This was the largest known bridge slide to date in Massachusetts and it was P. Gioioso’s third accelerated bridge construction project.  This challenging bridge move in a tight window required close coordination between multiple towns, agencies, and utilities as well as a major community outreach program. The project required just three weekend closures for removal of the old bridge, a test slide, and then the final slide.

 

The project also included rebuilding four miles of roadway around the bridge, widening the road to add an additional lane in each direction. It involved substantial wetland mitigation and installation of 10 storm water retention basins to control water runoff from the roadway. Because the project widened into wetland, to manage the environmental impact, the wetland was replicated elsewhere. The finished project reduced congestion and cut-through traffic and facilitated pedestrian and bike access.

 

In 2022, Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karen Polito joined in the dedication of the bridge in memory of a Weymouth police officer killed in the line of duty, naming it the Sgt. Michael C. Chesna First Responders Bridge.