Police Warn to Stay Clear of Watertown Square for Firefighter’s Funeral

To make way for those honoring fallen Watertown Firefighter Joseph Toscano, Watertown Square and a section of Main Street will shut down Wednesday and will not reopen until the early afternoon.

Watertown Police Chief Michael Lawn said that getting around the detours could be challenging.

“We are asking people to stay away from Watertown Square on Wednesday morning,” Lawn said.

Starting at 8:30 a.m., Main Street will be closed from Watertown Square west to Waverley Avenue. They will remain closed until the funeral services for Toscano at St. Patrick’ Church are completed.

Other streets closed during that time will be:

• Summer Street from Mt. Auburn Street to Waverley Avenue
• Green Street from Main Street to Pleasant Street
• Whites Avenue from Main Street to Summer Street

A procession will come from the Mass. Pike, down Galen Street and turn west onto Main Street in Watertown Square where it will end at the church. Thousands of firefighters from around the country are expected to gather outside the church.

The Watertown Boys & Girls Club will be open for firefighters and police officers to get warm and rest, or to watch the funeral on TV on Wednesday. It is located at 25 Whites Ave., (across Main St. and down the block from St. Patrick’s Church).

The street closure is just one of the impacts. The Municipal Parking Lots behind CVS and the Watertown Free Public Library will be closed during that period, too.

Town Manager Michael Driscoll announced that Town Hall and the Watertown Library will not open until 2 p.m. on Wednesday.

Summer Street will be used as a dropping off point for firefighters attending the service. The MBTA will bus them in from parking lots on Soldiers Field Road in Brighton.