South Coast Rail detours, bridge work, testing and more taking place as beginning of service on track

Here is the work taking place on South Coast Rail in Middleborough, Lakeville, Raynham, Taunton, Freetown, Fall River, Berkley, and New Bedford.

Middleborough: Overnight Testing at New Middleborough Station Site
Location of work: Work in railroad right-of-way at West Clark Street railroad crossing and the new Middleborough Station Drive railroad crossing at the New Middleborough Station site (161 South Main Street)
Dates/Hours of Work: Over the next 2 weeks, testing, including running test trains, may be occurring overnight in the Middleborough Station area related to the recent railroad crossing work

Fall River: Collins Street Road Closure for Railroad Work
Location of work: Work in railroad right-of-way at Collins Street in Fall River requiring Collins Street road closure (for detour use Clark Street)
Dates/Hours of Work: Work continues week of May 22, weekdays, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM

New Bedford: Extended Hours at New Bedford Station Site Parking Lot
Location of work: Paving and striping of parking lot at New Bedford Station Site, (on Acushnet Avenue at Whale’s Tooth Parking Lot) in New Bedford
Dates/Hours of Work: Work will occur between 2:00 AM and 11:00 PM, Wednesday, May 24

New Bedford: Detour for Work at Wamsutta Street
Location of Work: Wamsutta Street, New Bedford
Dates/Hours of Work: •Road closure/detour of Wamsutta Street (at Acushnet Avenue) continues this week to Friday, May 26, 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM •No parking on Wamsutta Street continues to Friday, May 26, 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM

All through traffic will be routed to Acushnet Avenue, Logan Street and North Front Street in New Bedford. Police details will allow local traffic access only on Wamsutta Street at North Front Street.

New Bedford: Pedestrian Bridge Work
Initial work site set up and construction has begun for the new pedestrian bridge across Route 18 and Acushnet Avenue connecting to the New Bedford Station.
Location of work: • Purchase Street (between Pearl Street and Willis Street) •Near the MassHire Greater New Bedford Career Center (618 Acushnet Ave)
Dates/Hours of Work: Weekdays, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM

For construction issues related to this New Bedford pedestrian bridge work please call 508-676-3558

Middleborough, Lakeville, Raynham, Taunton, Freetown, Fall River, and New Bedford: Signal System Installations and Testing
Installations and testing for the railroad signal system for the entire South Coast Rail Phase 1 is ongoing along the railroad right-of-way and at railroad crossings. Please be advised that during this work, signals may be disabled. In those instances, railroad workers known as flaggers will be in place to safely direct train traffic through crossings, and drivers should heed the flaggers’ directions.

The project will also be continuing to run test trains along the South Coast Rail lines to make sure the new signal systems are properly working. Abutters to the railroad may notice the increased train traffic and crossing signal usage.

Please note that on Thursday, May 25, track testing equipment will be running along the railroad right-of-way from Berkley to Fall River.

Middleborough: Roadwork and Single-lane Closures on Route 105 (South Main Street) and/or Route 28 (Grove Street)
Location of work: Roadwork and traffic signal installation near the new Middleborough Station Driveway site (161 South Main Street) on Route 105 across from the I-495 on/off ramps, as well as at the future pedestrian crossing of Route 28 (Grove Street) between the railroad overpasses
Dates/Hours of Work: Single-lane closures on Route 105 and/or Route 28 on weekdays (with weekend work as necessary), 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM

For roadway-construction issues related to this Route 105/Route 28 work please call 423-375-4086.

Taunton: Shoulder and Lane Closure for Utility Installation and Traffic Signal Modifications on Route 140 (County Street)
Location of work: Sidewalk work on the southbound side of Route 140 (County Street) between Taunton Depot Drive and Industrial Drive
Dates/Hours of Work: Single-lane closures on Route 140 on weekdays (with Saturday work as necessary), 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM

For roadway-construction issues related to this Route 140 work please call 423-375-4086.

Fencing Installation: Middleborough, Lakeville, Raynham, Taunton, Assonet, Freetown, Fall River, Berkley, and New Bedford
Location of work: •Installation of fencing along the Middleborough Secondary Line railroad right-of-way at locations between Route 140 in Taunton and the new Middleborough Station site (161 South Main Street, Middleborough) •Installation of fencing along the Fall River Secondary Line railroad right-of-way at locations between Richmond Road in Assonet and the Fall River Depot site (825 Davol Street) in Fall River •Installation of fencing along the New Bedford Main Line railroad right-of-way at locations between the East Taunton Station site (1141 County Street) in Taunton and the New Bedford Station Site (Acushnet Avenue at Whale’s Tooth Parking Lot) in New Bedford
Dates/Hours of Work: Monday through Sunday, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Berkley: Railroad Access at Mill Street for Signal Work
Residents of Mill Street in Berkley may notice an increase in frequency and volume of traffic as crews performing South Coast Rail signal work will be accessing the railroad right-of-way and work staging area at the end of the street.
Location of work: Access to railroad right-of-way at Mill Street in Berkley
Dates/Hours of Work: Typically, Monday through Friday (with weekend work as necessary), 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Berkley: Railroad Access at Cotley Street
Location of work: Cotley Street in Berkley
Dates/Hours of Work: Please note that the contractor will be using Cotley Street to access the right-of-way for various work activities. This access will be primarily used during the daytime (7:00 AM-7:00 PM) but will also be used 24-hours/day during some activities.

Berkley: Railroad Work at Myricks Street
Location of work: Work in the railroad right-of-way in the area of Myricks Street in Berkley
Dates/Hours of Work: Monday through Sunday, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Please note that although regular daytime construction hours begin at 7:00 AM, abutters may notice crews arriving at the construction sites prior to this time.

Daytime Work on Middleborough Secondary and New Bedford Main Line
Construction is ongoing at station and layover sites and along the railroad right-of-way from Middleborough to New Bedford.
Location of Work: •New Middleborough Station site, 161 South Main Street, Middleborough •East Taunton Station site, 1141 County Street, Taunton •Wamsutta Layover Facility site, 217 Herman Melville Boulevard, New Bedford •Church Street Station site, 387 Church Street, New Bedford •New Bedford Station Site, Acushnet Avenue (at Whale’s Tooth Parking Lot), New Bedford •Middleborough Secondary and New Bedford Main Line right-of-way
Dates/Hours of Work: •Monday, May 22 through Friday, May 26, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM •Tuesday, May 30 through Friday, June 2, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Please note that although regular daytime construction hours begin at 7:00 AM, abutters may notice crews arriving at the construction sites prior to this time.

Daytime Work on Fall River Secondary Line
Signal work is ongoing at station and layover sites and along the railroad right-of-way from Berkley to Fall River.
Location of work: •Freetown Station site, 153 South Main Street, Assonet •Weaver’s Cove Layover Facility, 2680 North Main Street, Fall River •Fall River Depot site, 825 Davol Street, Fall River •Fall River Secondary Line railroad right-of-way
Dates/Hours of Work: •Monday, May 22 through Friday, May 26, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM •Tuesday, May 30 through Friday, June 2, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Please note that although regular daytime hours begin at 7:00 AM, abutters may notice crews arriving at the sites prior to this time.

Daytime Transportation of Soils
Please note that soils excavated from the railroad right-of-way and roadways during the above work are typically transported during the day by truck to designated project sites.
Dates/Hours of Work: •Regular daytime hours 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM

This part of the South Coast Rail project is still on track to be completed by the end of the year.