State to hold virtual meeting on I-90 bridge replacements in Westborough, Southborough

State transportation leaders will update the community early next month on plans to replace eight Massachusetts Turnpike bridges in Southborough and Westborough.

The state Department of Transportation will host a virtual public information meeting on the work, dubbed the Acceler-8 I-90 Bridge Replacements Project, at 6 p.m. on Feb. 9 via Zoom.

The meeting will include a presentation and discussion on the project, which will replace bridges on the eastbound and westbound sides of the Pike over Flanders Road, Parkerville Road, Cordaville Road and Woodland Road. Those bridges date back to 1957.

Prep work in Westborough and Southborough will begin in February, with bridge replacement done during eight weekends between June and August.

State transportation officials have said the work would likely take between three and five years. It would involve closing lanes if the state does not use accelerated bridge construction techniques, which have been previously used in Braintree and with the Commonwealth Avenue bridge project. One bridge will be replaced at a time to reduce traffic congestion.

More:Eight Massachusetts Turnpike bridges to replaced next summer

The turnpike will be reduced by one lane in each direction on weekends beginning after the Friday evening rush hour and ending at 5 a.m. Monday. There will be detours on local roads that pass underneath the highway. Bridge work will not occur during holidays or other high-travel weekends.

The estimated $61 million project is being done before the start of the adjacent I-90/I-495 Interchange Project to avoid adding to the traffic burden. That project includes redesigning the troublesome interchange by eliminating weaving that often causes bottlenecks and crashes at the existing junction and includes designated ramps and lanes for each traffic maneuver to make getting on and off the highways and merging much safer.

The interchange is known for significant traffic during peak hours, weekends and the summer. It also has a high crash rate. More than 75,000 vehicles pass through the junction each day. More than 450 crashes — including two fatalities — occurred there between 2011 and 2015.

Residents can join the Acceler-8 I-90 Bridge Replacements Project meeting by visiting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88423542199?pwd=OGwxZ3FhK0szVmFtY0dmSHViZzRRQT09#success

The public meeting is accessible to people with disabilities and those with limited proficiency in English. Accessibility accommodations and language services will be provided free of charge, upon request, as available. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation and/or language services, email apoggenburg@reginavilla.com or call 617-357-5772 xt.26 by Jan. 29.

For more information on the project visit www.mass.gov/Acceler8Bridges.

Jeff Malachowski can be reached at 508-490-7466 or jmalachowski@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @JmalachowskiMW.