Centre Avenue will be closed Friday into Saturday so that the MBTA can rebuild the roadway’s chronically malfunctioning grade crossing.
The roadway, which is also known as Route 123, will close between Plymouth Street and Park Avenue starting at 9 p.m. Traffic will be detoured via Plymouth Street, Progress Street, Summer Street, and Park Avenue.
Large trucks with a height of more than 13.6 feet will not be allowed to use Central Street due to the low rail bridge.
The closure may result in significant traffic impacts, especially on Saturday morning when eastbound traffic routinely backs up from the Route 58/123 intersection to the tracks.
“Please plan ahead, expect delays, seek alternate routes if possible, and follow instructions provided by public safety officials,” Abington Police said in a statement posted on social media.
The MBTA says the work is needed to fix the Centre Avenue grade crossing, which has repeatedly glitched in recent months, causing safety gates to come down and block traffic when a train hasn’t been approaching. Town records say grade crossing safety systems throughout the town have malfunctioned more than two dozen times over the past year, with the Centre Avenue and Summer Street crossings the most frequent offenders.
Work crews will rip up and replace the existing tracks, wooden ties, and rock ballast, according to the MBTA. The agency suspects poor drainage alongside the grade crossing is partly to blame for the malfunctions.
Much of the grade crossing infrastructrue dates back to 1997, when the commuter rail line was rebuilt after a four-decade absence. Although the grade crossing surfaces are replaced every 10-15 years, the current signals, wires, and other safety components are more than 25 years old.
Abington officials are glad the MBTA is working on a fix but holding back on a final verdict until they see if the issue is finally resolved.
“The proof is in the final solution,” said Select Board Chairman Kevin Donovan. “We will be monitoring this to make sure it is in fact corrected.”
Underground conduits will also be installed on both sides of the road so that future work crews can better access wires without needing to again demolish and reconstruct the road.
Sections of rail, lengths of wooden ties, and piles of stone could be seen on site Thursday.
Abington Police said access to homes and business next to the grade crossing will remain open during the work.
Police details will be located at Centre Avenue/Plymouth Street, Centre Avenue/Progress Street, and Centre Avenue/Park Avenue to help with detours.
The MBTA hopes to reopen Centre Avenue early Saturday afternoon.