July 10 – July 11 from McGrath Highway to School Street
Following critical utility work, interim paving will support safe travel prior to the full redesign of Highland Avenue
SOMERVILLE–This week, beginning Wednesday, July 10 at 8 p.m. City contractors will undertake the first of two long-awaited mobilizations to pave the travel lanes (approximately 28-feet wide) of eastern Highland Avenue. This first part of a two-part
interim paving plan will cover the segment of roadway between McGrath Highway and School Street.
This stretch is one of Somerville’s most traveled roadways. To ease travel and support safety prior to a pending larger streetscape project planned for Highland, Mayor Ballantyne’s administration allocated $375,000 for the interim paving of eastern Highland
Avenue from Benton Road to McGrath Highway in the fiscal year 2024 budget. This interim repaving will precede a full, multi-modal streetscape redesign and reconstruction to be shaped with community input.
The second stretch of interim Highland Avenue paving is expected to take place later this summer. Upon completion of Eversource’s Gas Main Upgrade project on Highland Avenue, the next round of paving will cover the segment of roadway between School Street and
Benton Road.
“I want to thank the community for their immense patience as we’ve worked to upgrade utilities underneath Highland Avenue. Smoother driving and riding is now nearly here,” said Mayor Ballantyne. “As we lay down this interim paving to keep everyone safer for
now, I look forward to the community joining us in our next steps: planning for a great new Highland Avenue that better serves our environment and the travel needs of us all whether walking, biking, rolling, or driving.”
More About This Week’s Paving
Paving will take place overnight beginning Wednesday, July 10 at approximately 8 p.m. and ending Thursday, July 11 at approximately 7 a.m. This schedule is subject to change due to weather or other factors.
During paving operations:
Highland Avenue between School Street and McGrath Highway will be closed to motor vehicle traffic in both directions during work hours.
Detours will be installed for vehicle traffic. For a full detour map please visit
somervillema.gov/springhill.
Access will be maintained for pedestrians via both sidewalks.
MBTA buses and emergency vehicles will be able to proceed in both directions at all times.
On-street parking will also be restricted during construction.
We ask that residents please observe posted signage.
Future Full Redesign and Reconstruction of Highland Avenue
The City’s current Five-Year
Capital Investment Plan includes a larger-scale redesign and reconstruction of Highland Avenue. This effort is currently planned to begin as early as July 2025. For more details visit
somervillema.gov/highlandave.
To ensure consistency with the City’s Vision
Zero Action Plan and Citywide
Bicycle Network Plan, this larger project will include:
Reconstructed sidewalks.
Traffic calming and crosswalk safety enhancements.
Two directions of separated bicycle lanes.
Bus priority infrastructure.
Green stormwater infrastructure elements.
The project development process will include a thorough evaluation of resident, business, and visitor parking and loading needs with a commitment to serve these needs in the context of the future street design.
To stay informed on the larger-scale redesign and reconstruction project please visit
somervillema.gov/highlandave.