Mass Pike reopens after emergency repairs due to large crack in road
The westbound side of the Mass Pike was closed at the Route 495 interchange in Hopkinton after a large crack was seen in the highway. There were traffic delays for hours on Friday as crews made emergency repairs to the road.
All westbound traffic was being detoured onto Route 9 at Exit 111 in Framingham. One westbound lane was reopened late Friday afternoon. All travel lanes reopened by 9 p.m.
What caused the crack in the Mass Pike?
Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said that about 7 a.m., a worker saw "what he thought was unusual cracking coming in between the lanes of the turnpike."
"We brought in an inspector right away, and determined that there was some settlement going on, which is something that could lead to a pretty sizable sinkhole over about a 400-foot stretch of pavement," he said.
The crack happened in an area of the highway that is in the middle of a large construction site. It's believed a contractor may have disturbed some soil that led to the cracking.
Embankment destabilized
"The pavement had started to move down by about two inches," Gulliver said. "The concern was that was going to settle and turn into a much bigger sinkhole."
Gulliver says this is all part of a much larger, multi-year reconstruction project of the 495/90 interchange which includes a new bridge and ramp system to be installed in the area.
"We believe what happened is that as part of that construction activity the contractor put some new piles in, disturbed some of that soil which caused that embankment about 30 feet high up against the turnpike to become destabilized," Gulliver said. "That caused that settlement to start to occur."
Gridlock traffic on the Mass Pike
There was gridlock traffic on the Mass Pike westbound Friday afternoon just before the Route 9 exit where cars are being detoured. Drivers stuck in the mess said they had no idea what was happening.
"I would love to have paid attention to the GPS before that," one driver said. "My mistake."
Another woman caught in the Pike standstill was taking it all in stride.
"Life is too short. Please, please be very nice to each other and love each other," she said. "Peace and love for everyone."
