Here is the ROW for next week from the Somerville Director of
Engineering. —
Welcome back to your weekly Right-of-Way construction update email.
Attached you will find contractor’s reports of planned construction
activities for the week of 7 May 2018 and a reference map illustrating
impacted areas. Major activities include:
Cedar Street Sewer Separation – P. Gioioso & Sons
· Highland Avenue detour has ended as of today! Thank you to
everyone for helping us with this, especially to all the city staff who
personally patronized local businesses!
· Various final adjustments and repairs to subsurface utilities
on Cedar Street between Elm Street and Highland Avenue requiring
temporary closures of Cedar Street in preparation for final streetscape
work.
· Startup of final streetscape work including full-width
excavation of road and sidewalks in Cedar Street between Elm and Summer
Streets requiring closure of that segment to through traffic pending
completion of work above.
Beacon Street Road Reconstruction – MassDOT and Newport Construction
· Miscellaneous sidewalk construction on Beacon Street between
Roseland Street and Oxford Street requiring parking restrictions.
· Full depth roadway sub-paving on Beacon Street between
Washington and Buckingham Streets requiring parking restrictions and
alternating traffic.
· Full depth roadway excavation on Beacon Street between
Buckingham and Dickinson Streets requiring parking restrictions and
alternating traffic.
Pavement Management Program – D&R Paving
· Sidewalk construction on Cedar Street between Broadway and
Morrison Avenue requiring parking restrictions and intermittent,
temporary stoppage of traffic.
· Reconstruction and repair of sidewalk panels and wheelchair
ramps at various locations previously constructed in 2016 and 2017
(achieving ADA compliance is difficult in our hilly, congested city,
particularly under various weather conditions, so some re-work is to be
expected).
Gas Main Replacement – Eversource
· Eversource gas main replacement in Union Square including the
Plaza and Sanborn Court requiring parking and traffic restrictions.
· Eversource gas main and service connection replacements on
Powder House Blvd between Curtis Street and Alewife Brook Parkway
requiring parking and traffic restrictions.
· Eversource gas main replacement on Oak Street between
Houghton and Prospect Streets requiring parking restrictions and road
closure to non-abutters. Note that Eversource work on Oak Street will
not start until D&R Paving is complete with Bolton Street.
· Eversource gas main replacement on Francesca Avenue between
College and Liberty Avenues requiring parking restrictions and road
closure to non-abutters.
· Eversource gas main replacement on Meacham Road between Buena
Vista Avenue and the Cambridge city line requiring parking restrictions
and road closure to non-abutters.
Gas Main Replacement – National Grid
· National Grid gas main replacement on Grant Street between
Broadway and Jaques Street requiring parking restrictions and road
closure to non-abutters.
Somerville Avenue Utility and Streetscape Improvements – Barletta Heavy
Division
· Excavation of test pits in the areas of the Plaza, Bow Street
and Stone Avenue requiring parking and traffic restrictions.
Gore Street Cambridge Sewer – J. Derenzo
· Relocation of water main in Medford Street between South
Street and the Cambridge city line requiring water shutoffs, parking
restrictions, and one-way alternating traffic.
All contractors have been made aware of our busy weekend events
calendar, including Open Studios this weekend, PorchFest next weekend,
and the Memorial Day parade the weekend following. We have set the
expectation that all construction sites must be made safe over the
weekends and that on-street storage of equipment and materials must
remain at a minimum.
While not construction, everyone should be aware that the Sewer
Department with a consultant and a specialty contractor will be
conducting investigations of the sewer system as part of our ongoing
efforts to assess and improve the condition of our aging pipeline
infrastructure. This year’s investigations will be in the area bound by
Teele Square, Davis Square and Tufts. Next week, they will be conducting
nighttime investigations to estimate how much groundwater enters the
system. Starting next week and lasting a little over a month, they will
also be performing TV inspections of the sewers during the daytime.
These investigations will not create significant impacts, but parking
restrictions and temporary traffic impacts can be expected.
Also, the Engineering Department is very pleased to welcome Jesse Moos
who as of this week is filling our newly created Construction Liaison
and Compliance Manager role. Most if not all of you know Jesse from his
previous stints in ISD and 311, or simply from being one of Somerville’s
more ubiquitously known residents. If you foresee or encounter any
issues with construction activities, please contact Jesse at
617.625.6600 x5419 or the main Engineering Department line at x5400.
As always, thanks for your attention and support as we build a better
Somerville!
Regards,
Richard E. Raiche, PE, PMP
Director of Engineering
City of Somerville
1 Franey Road, Somerville, MA 02145