Rt. 107 to close overnight Tuesday for repairs

The stretch of Route 107 from Revere into the Saugus-Lynn area has already been narrowed to two lanes and Tuesday night it will be closed altogether from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Wednesday morning.According to Saugus Town Manager Andrew Bisignani, the Massachusetts Highway Department will shut down the roadway because National Grid needs to string new lines. The project is tied to the construction that is tying up the majority of Route 107.National Grid did not immediately return calls for comment.Commuters forced to travel the straightaway that connects Revere, Saugus and Lynn have had to struggle through two major construction projects and the ensuing traffic jams. The projects are the Belden Bly Bridge closure at the Lynn end of the roadway and the bridge replacements and road work on the Revere end.Last summer the state began work that will result in the replacement of the three bridges that straddle the marsh. It is also simultaneously working on the reconstruction of 5,200 feet of roadway that spans both Saugus and Revere. In doing so traffic has been whittled down to one lane in each direction.The $16,337,950 project is estimated to run through the summer of 2011.Once commuters clear the first construction site they are hit almost immediately with a second, the Belden Bly Bridge closure. That project, which began in December, shuts down the Lynn entrance on Route 107 entirely, pushing drivers off onto the Ballard Street detour.According to project updates issued by Mass Highway, the Belden Bly repairs are on schedule. The last update stated that while some time was lost due to one of the January snow storms, crews worked an additional Sunday shift to make up the lost time. The contractor reportedly working to strengthen the track girder is proceeding at a steady pace. The electrical subcontractor is also installing new control devices and everything is progressing as scheduled. The bridge is expected to reopen May 15.Tuesday’s road closure in an overnighter and therefore should not impact drive time but late night commuters will need to find an alternate route.Digital message boards are in place to warn drivers of the closure.