MassDOT will close New Bedford's I-195 east ramp to Route 18 south from December to spring 2029
Traffic shifts onto the new westbound bridge, a signed detour replaces the downtown exit, and MassDOT will walk through phases 3 and 4 at a Nov. 5 Zoom meeting.
NEW BEDFORD Drivers who take I-195 east to Route 18 south into downtown New Bedford will lose that exit for more than two years. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation plans to close the ramp from I-195 east to Route 18 south, Exit 26, starting in December and keep it closed through spring 2029, with a signed detour in place for the length of the closure.
The closure clears the way for the next stage of the I-195/Route 18 interchange rebuild. Traffic will shift onto the new I-195 westbound bridge, and the existing eastbound bridge will be demolished before construction of its replacement begins, MassDOT said in its notice for a live virtual public information meeting on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 6 p.m. on Zoom.
What changes in December
MassDOT's notice calls the work ahead the project's shift to phases 3 and 4. WBSM, which reported the closure early Friday, quoted MassDOT as saying the ramp "closes completely to clear space for the next phase."
The station reported that in December all westbound traffic will move onto the new, permanent westbound viaduct, and that crews will then mill and pave the highway median to build a temporary crossover carrying eastbound traffic onto part of the new westbound bridge. Once the old eastbound viaduct is clear of traffic, its demolition can begin, WBSM reported, and a new ramp will eventually replace the one that is closing.
Where the project stands
Two westbound ramps at the interchange have been closed since Sept. 8, 2025: the ramp from I-195 west to Route 18 south, known as Ramp C, and the on-ramp from Route 18 north to I-195 west, Ramp D. MassDOT's construction look-ahead for Oct. 18 to Nov. 1 said both would stay closed until summer 2027.
South Coast 360 laid out the detours for those ramps and this fall's overnight Route 18 closures on Oct. 18.
When construction began in August 2025, MassDOT said the job would replace a section of I-195 and the ramps connecting it to Route 18, rebuilding the highway's two raised sections one at a time: the westbound side from 2025 to 2027 and the eastbound side from 2027 to 2029. The state called it a five-year project to improve safety through the interchange, expected to be finished in 2030, and said it would add a noise barrier, a skate park, a landscape park and a shared use path under the highway.
Under the new notice, the eastbound ramp closes in December 2026, ahead of the old eastbound bridge's demolition. WBSM reported that the project, which it put at $400 million, is running about nine months ahead of schedule, and that the original 2030 finish could change if the work keeps its current pace.
How to take part
The Nov. 5 meeting is a live virtual meeting on Zoom, starting at 6 p.m. Registration is through MassDOT's meeting notice. The notice says the meeting is meant to give the public "the opportunity to become fully acquainted with the project's upcoming shifts to phases 3 and 4" and adds, "All views and comments submitted in response to the meeting will be reviewed and considered to the maximum extent possible."
MassDOT provides accommodations and language help free of charge on request through its chief diversity and civil rights officer, at 857-368-8580, TTY 857-266-0603, or MassDOTHighwayProjectAccommodations@dot.state.ma.us. The agency asks for at least 10 business days' notice for sign language, CART or interpretation.
Questions about the work go to the project hotline at 508-441-4532 or to i195route18newbedford@dot.state.ma.us.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
The facts come from MassDOT: its notice for the Nov. 5 public information meeting, read Oct. 30; its construction look-ahead for Oct. 18 to Nov. 1, read Oct. 18; and its August 2025 construction announcement as Fairhaven Neighborhood News published it, read Oct. 30. WBSM is credited for the details only it reported: MassDOT's quote on the ramp, the December traffic shift and median crossover, the new ramp to come, the $400 million figure and the schedule. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar: Nov. 5 is a Thursday. Not heard yet: MassDOT's project team, on the exact closure date, the detour route and the project's current cost.
Corrections
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Sources (4)
- MassDOT Highway Division, "New Bedford: I-195/Route 18 Interchange Rehabilitation," public hearing notice for the Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, 6 p.m. virtual public information meetingMassDOT's own notice: the ramp from I-195 east to Route 18 south (Exit 26) closed from December 2026 through spring 2029, the signed detour, the shift onto the new westbound bridge, the eastbound bridge demolition and rebuild, phases 3 and 4, the meeting's purpose and comment language, registration and the accommodation contacts. Read Oct. 30, 2026.
- MassDOT, "Traffic and construction updates, Route I-195 to Route 18 interchange rehabilitation in New Bedford" (look-ahead for Oct. 18 to Nov. 1, 2026)Ramps C and D closed Sept. 8, 2025, and staying closed until summer 2027; the project hotline and email. Read Oct. 18, 2026.
- Fairhaven Neighborhood News, "Route 18/I-195 project will cause 5 years of detours" (MassDOT construction announcement, published as a press release)MassDOT's August 2025 announcement: construction under way, the westbound side rebuilt 2025 to 2027 and the eastbound side 2027 to 2029, completion expected in 2030, the safety aim, the noise barrier, skate park, landscape park and shared use path. Published Aug. 27, 2025. Read Oct. 30, 2026.
- WBSM, "MassDOT Dropping Major Route 18 Exit Ramp Closure on New Bedford Drivers Ahead of Schedule"Credited for what only WBSM reported: MassDOT's quote that the ramp "closes completely to clear space for the next phase," the December move of westbound traffic onto the new viaduct, the median crossover, the new ramp to come, the $400 million figure and the schedule. Published Oct. 30, 2026. Read Oct. 30, 2026.