Traffic on the Massachusetts Turnpike was backed up at times on Sunday as a project to remove 23 tollbooths on the length of the highway continued.
“There were more delays than a normal Sunday,” said Trooper Paul Sullivan in a phone interview Sunday evening, adding that the increased traffic issues fell in line with what state officials expected.
Replacement of the tollbooths is the final step in making the turnpike an all-electronic toll system. Demolition of the tollbooths requires some lanes to be closed where work is taking place. A 15 mph speed limit is in effect until Nov. 22 in these work zones.
Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack said in a statement that traffic would be impacted by these major construction projects.
“Drivers should devote their full attention to driving, monitor traffic conditions using all our available resources and make an informed decision before traveling,” Pollack said.
The tollbooths on the Massachusetts portion of the Interstate 90 highway are being replaced with 16 overhead structures, or gantries, outfitted with electronic receivers for reading EZ Passes and high-speed cameras to capture license plate numbers.
On Saturday, temporary lane assignments were put in place for the first phase of toll plaza demolition, with heavy construction equipment beginning demolition at some plazas. MassDOT crews and contractors were putting in place traffic control measures to guide drivers to the right and left lane of toll plazas as center toll booths were taken down.
Full-scale demolition was slated to take place later Sunday and into the early morning hours Monday.
Between 10:06 p.m. Friday, when the universal electronic tolling began, and 8 a.m. Sunday, more than 1.4 million transactions were processed on the highway.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
