River ConesFebruary 11, 2022 · updated October 15, 2023In winter 2022, in a pilot for a new lane layout on the Mass. Ave. bridge near MIT, MassDOT laid out hundreds of cones blocking one car lane of the bridge on each side, widening the bike lane.During an extended cold snap that left the river frozen for a few weeks, nearly all of the cones were thrown over either side of the bridge onto the icy surface below. Just before warmth returned to Boston, promising to melt the ice, MassDOT sent a group of divers in SCUBA gear to retrieve the cones and hoist them to crews working on the bridge above.Workers in SCUBA gear retrieve cones from the frozen Charles River in January 2022.