The Tobin Bridge's northbound right lane will close beginning, Monday, April 15 for up to two weeks. An arrow board indicating the lane closure will be set up at the old toll booth on the lower level, to advise motorists.

The lane closing is a safety measure during construction of the containment area from which workers will clean and repaint the bridge structure. The containment area begins at sign post C-1 and continues to the end of the bridge, closing 300 feet of roadway on the lower deck including the Beacon Street Ramp.

To protect Chelsea residents and to minimize noise and inconvenience, construction workers will communicate with each other via two-radios, and also use low noise-level construction equipment. Electric light towers will be raised higher than residential buildings and turned away from the community during the 7:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. construction work schedule. This project is a continuation of Massport's initiative to rid the bridge of lead paint.

This launches phase six of Massport's nine phase painting project begun in 1992. The on-going painting process is necessary to protect the steel structure from corrosive effects of New England winters and ocean salt and insure the integrity of the bridge.

"Massport utilizes an environmentally-friendly abrasive cleaning system and lead-free paint for the protection and safety of our neighbors and the bridge," said Mary Jane O'Meara, Massport's director of the Tobin Bridge.

The containment area is a tightly-sealed, negative-pressure, vacuum space where workers use an abrasive cleaning agent which is recaptured, sanitized and reused in the encapsulated area. Paint chips are contained from the time they come off the steel to the time they are sealed in containers to ensure public and environmental protection.

Massport's procedures for this phase-six painting project include a stringent set of controls based on guidelines from the Society of Protective Coatings, considered the industry standard for the protection of public health and the environment.

As with the previous phases, regular on-site environmental testing of air quality and particulate emissions will take place.

"Massport prides itself for an air quality monitoring program that surpasses city, state or federal guidelines," said O'Meara.

Once the containment area is constructed, the cleaning and painting phase will begin: Monday through Fridays, 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for approximately eight weeks.

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