The accident rate at the intersection of Interstates 495 and 290 is 33 percent higher than other, similar highway interchanges, which the Mass Highway Department says it will improve by redesigning and rebuilding the intersection, according to MHD engineer Barry Lorion.
It will probably not be done until 2014 or 2015, but $31 million of federal and state money has been designated to the project, he said. The Massachusetts Environmental Protection Agency determined that the project doesn’t need an environmental impact report done on it, which saves 18-24 months.
The traffic will flow as usual during the construction process as the construction is done in stages.
Congestion Relief
The intersection is currently a full cloverleaf, but the new intersection will be a hybrid design with a partial cloverleaf and three levels of roadway.
The current tight geometry of the “leaves” leads to trucks turning over on the ramps because the radius is too tight. The new design will have ramps with double lanes and a wider turning radius, he said.
Two of the four ramps are rated “F” or failing due to the amount of traffic they have to handle and the redesign is expected to get the intersection a B, C or D rating.
