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All Mass. Pike lanes in Allston are open, weeks ahead of schedule

With all lanes in the Allston stretch Massachusetts Turnpike now open, the commute into town should move a little faster.Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff

Starting today, the commute on the Massachusetts Turnpike should move a little faster.

All four lanes in both directions on Interstate 90 reopened early Monday morning, according to the state Department of Transportation — nearly three weeks earlier than the timeline first outlined for the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge Replacement Project.

“The hard work of our crews and contractors is allowing us to meet this important milestone ahead of schedule,” State Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack said in a statement Sunday night.

The lanes are reopening early because engineering and construction staff were able to finish installing beams and remove a 440-ton crane on the turnpike “more efficiently than originally planned,” Jonathan Gulliver, the state’s acting highway administrator said in the statement.

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Crews adjusted their work zone so that the crane could be dismantled in large sections, using all the available space on the closed westbound side, said Patrick Marvin, a spokesman for MassDOT.

Going forward, lane closures will be periodic, restricted to off-peak hours as the bridge replacement project continues, officials said.

The schedule for completing the rest of the project remains unchanged, according to the statement.

Construction will continue to impact traffic on Commonwealth Avenue and the Boston University Bridge, as well as travel on the MBTA Green Line B-branch and bus routes, until Aug. 14.


Material from the Globe staff contributed to this report. Abigail Feldman can be reached at abigail.feldman@globe.com.