2nd Pothole Opens On Boston-Area Highway

Commuters leaving Boston on Interstate 93 North could be facing a nightmarish drive home.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation says three lanes of four lanes in Medford will be closed to traffic as crews continue to repair the bridge deck at Exit 33. Motorists are urged to consider alternate routes as crews will work through the night on repairs.

State police said at least four vehicle sustained tire damage when a large hole opened up on the roadway earlier Wednesday, shutting down two lanes during the morning commute and snarling traffic for miles.

The roughly 5-foot-by-3-foot pothole was near, but separate from, the 14-foot-by-5-foot hole that appeared on Tuesday afternoon and took crews about five hours to repair.

State Highway Commissioner Luisa Paiewonsky attributes the two holes to ongoing construction in the area, but says more drastic measures may be needed.

"This is really indicating to us that we're getting past the point of constantly repairing and at some point soon we're going to be needing to replace those bridge decks," she said.

Paiewonsky says workers have been ordered to give the hold a full repair, which includes digging out bad concrete.

"We're working as quickly as possible on repairing the potholes," she said, "but we're working on preventing future potholes from developing."

MassDOT says alternate routes from Boston could include the Massachusetts Turnpike to Route 128 North and the Tobin Bridge U.S. Route 1 and Interstate 95.

More: