The state’s top transportation official said she is confident everything possible has been done to prepare for a major highway project just getting underway in western Massachusetts.
MassDOT Secretary Stephanie Pollack said a “great”traffic management plan is in place to minimize the impact of the lane reductions and ramp closures that will take place over the next three years as the I-91 viaduct is reconstructed in downtown Springfield.
" I apologize in advance for the inconvenience, but people should know a lot of time and effort goes into developing traffic management plans," she said Wednesday.
Pollack said the contractor on the $230 million project can earn financial bonuses for finishing the work up to six months sooner than planned.
Springfield business owners have said their concerned the highway work will keep people away.
MGM wants to delay opening its planned Springfield casino for up to a year until the I-91 project is finished in 2018.
