Broadway (Ball Square) Bridge to close first, beginning Fall 2018 and lasting for one year. Detour routes and impacts under review by GLX team.
SOMERVILLE – In anticipation of the planned release of the proposed schedule and detour plans associated with upcoming GLX construction and bridge closures, the City of Somerville has planned an information and Q&A Session on Saturday, June 23, from 9 to 11 a.m. As part of a regularly-scheduled Community Working Group meeting convened by MassDOT, the MBTA, and GLX Constructors, the proposal for closures of seven bridges between 2018 and 2020 will be discussed, among other items. Meeting minutes will be posted at www.greenlinextension.com/cwg.html following the June 5 meeting. On June 23, city and GLX staff will be available at an informational/Q&A table in front of Blue Cloud Gallery and True Grounds, 713-717 Broadway in Ball Square. Please stop by to learn more about the current proposals, or visit www.somervillema.gov/glx for updates.
While all dates and information are subject to change, current proposals by the GLX team call for the full closure of the Broadway Bridge at Ball Square, connecting Ball and Magoun Squares, for one full year beginning in the fall of 2018. The closure would apply to all modes of transportation, including bicycles and pedestrians. Additional bridge closures are planned through 2019 and 2020, including on Washington St. (between Union Square and Inner Belt), Medford St. (outside of Union Square), Cedar St., School St., Lowell St., and College Ave.
Additional meetings, events, and Q&A sessions will be scheduled throughout the summer and fall as the bridge closure schedule and detour routes are finalized. Please check www.somervillema.gov/glx for updates, and ways to stay informed.
If you have questions, please call 311 (617-666-3311) or email construction@somervillema.gov.
Individuals with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication, written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures, in order to access the programs and activities of the City of Somerville or to attend meetings, should contact the City’s ADA Coordinator, Nency Salamoun, at NSalamoun@somervillema.gov or 617-625-6600 ext. 2323.
It’s a definite! The Ball Square Bridge to close in October for at least a year. Are the local neighbors ready for the influx of traffic through their streets? Will emergency vehicles be able to get from one end of Broadway to the other in a timely manner? If you think the traffic is bad in that area now, wait until it has nowhere to go. Factor in a major snowstorm that will close all construction adding to all of this. I bet you didn’t know your mayor approved all of this almost a year ago without any city official or department know.
You have very valid thoughts! I don’t think a lot of thought has gone into this “plan”. This will have a huge impact on neighboring Somerville/Medford residents – this is so wrong. The Ball Square bridge should be done in sections and leave traffic go over it. Tired of hearing Broadway Bridge, and Powderhouse Circle, clearly people who are not from this area! It’s the Ball Square Bridge and Powderhouse Circle!
Clearly they are rubbing off on me – Powderhouse ROTARY is what I meant to say!