What Replacing The Comm. Ave Bridge Means For Boston

There's a spot in Greater Boston where just about every imaginable mode of transportation meets — cars, trucks, buses, bikes, feet, trains, even boats. And that spot will be closed for several weeks this summer.

MassDOT will be replacing the half-century-old Commonwealth Avenue Bridge at Boston University in July. The agency deemed the bridge "structurally deficient," and will be accelerating its repair project on it this summer, beginning July 26.

But instead of taking months to repair the bridge, MassDOT plans to complete phase one of the project in just 18 and a half days. Phase 2 is slated for 2018. Nevertheless, it's bound to cause some serious headaches, as Commonwealth Avenue will be closed to vehicle traffic. The BU Bridge will also be closed during that time. And the Mass Pike below will be narrowed down from four lanes down to two.

Peter Furth, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northeastern University. He tweets @PeterFurth.