Revere bridge will make for long weekends

REVERE – The city and state department of transportation are reminding travelers that the Winthrop Avenue Bridge is closed this weekend and next, and traffic will be rerouted through already-busy Bell Circle.”Please use alternate routes,” Mayor Dan Rizzo tweeted in a reminder to residents.The Winthrop Avenue Bridge is located just south of Bell Circle, the rotary at the intersections of Route 1A, Route 16 and Route 60. The bridge will be dismantled and replaced during the next two weekends.The bridge enables Winthrop Avenue (Route 145) and Revere Beach Parkway (the section of Route 16 heading east) to cross the commuter rail tracks. The bridge closures will impact commuter rail, bus, vehicle and pedestrian travel, according to an advisory from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MDOT).According to a map provided by the transportation department, traffic on Winthrop Avenue will be rerouted along Hichborn Street, Route 1A and Route 16. The detour route is approximately a half mile long.The bridge closed in both directions at 8 p.m. Friday. It will not reopen until 5 a.m. Monday, but will reopen with only one (rather than three) travel lanes in each direction. The bridge closes again from 8 p.m. Friday, June 5 to 5 a.m. Monday, June 8. At that point, the bridge will open with two travel lanes in each direction.During the weekends, both vehicle and pedestrian traffic will be re-routed along the detour, and there will be traffic details to assist. The affected section of the commuter rail will be closed, and the MBTA/Keolis will bus passengers. The MBTA will also change its bus routes to follow the detour, according to the MDOT announcement.