Two Years Worth of Road Construction Coming in 2025, Ratings of City’s Roads Have Dropped

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The City plans to do two years worth of road reconstruction work in the 2025 construction season, and nearly 30,000 feet of utilities line will be replaced around town.

The City Council approved the 2025 Local Road Construction Program on Nov. 26, which includes five streets funded in Fiscal Year 2025, and five roads approved but not constructed in FY24.

The Department of Public Works selects the roads to be reconstructed based on multiple factors, including the condition of the pavement, and utilities that have been replaced by the City or utilities, City Engineer Tyler Glode told the City Council’s Committee on Public Works.

Based on these factors, the DPW chose to reconstruct Poplar Street, Partridge Street, Pequosette Street, north and south Irving Park and Royal Street, and Green Street during the 2025 construction season, from April to November.

In Fiscal Year 2024, the City Council approved the reconstruction of George Street, Bromfield Street, Mangano Court, Grandview Avenue and Dwight Street. However, the projects were not put out to bid, Glode told the Committee, because of lack of staff in the City’s Procurement Department, as well as the DPW.

Over the past year, the citywide Pavement Condition Index (PCI) dropped from 65 to 60, Glode said, mostly due to the extensive utility work during the year.

Members of the Committee on Public Works — Councilors Vincent Piccirilli, Lisa Feltner, and Tony Palomba — said they are concerned about the state of Watertown’s street and “the fact that based on the PCI there are too many streets that are in need of full reconstruction,” the report said.

Significant utility work is anticipated in 2025, Glode told the Committee. There will be more than 5,000 feet of water main replacement (3,500 by the city and 2,000 by the MWRA), about 3,000 feet of sewer main replacement by the City, and about 19,000 feet of gas main replacement by National Grid. The DPW plans water projects on Cottage Street, Cottage Lane, Sawin Street, Molloy Street, Lyons Street, and Sexton Street in FY25.

Other Projects

During the Committee meeting, Feltner and Piccirilli commented that the bump out at the corner of Walnut Street and School Street was poorly designed.

“The Councilors felt that it both increased congestion and raised serious safety issues,” the Committee report said.

Piccirilli asked the DPW to provide an update about the situation at an upcoming meeting.

Councilors also expressed concern about the slow progress being made by the MWRA on water main replacements on Common Street, Russell Avenue, and Bellevue Street. Palomba said he hoped that the sections could be repaved when the utility work is completed, rather than waiting for all the work on a street to be finished.

The open areas created when a bump out is constructed often become full of trash, Piccirilli said, and he asked the DPW to regularly clear the area until they are landscaped. He also requested a memo from the DPW on how this will be addressed.

Feltner also raised concerns about the “very poor patch work” done by National Grid on the streets after they have completed their work, the report said.

Longer Road Projects

The 2025 Local Road Construction Program does not include any long street and connector roads, because projects approved and in previous years have not been completed.

The Committee report includes updates about the projects:

  • Highland Avenue is in the punch list stage.
  • The borrowing for Morse Street was done in FY22 with construction to begin in spring of 2023. Completion is now expected in the fall of FY24 or the spring of FY25.
  • The borrowing for Fifth Avenue was done in FY23 with construction to begin in spring of 2024. At this time the street is in the 75% design development/coordination phase.
  • The borrowing for Springfield Street was done in FY24 with construction to begin in spring of 2025 At this time the street is in the 75% design development/coordination phase.
  • The borrowing for Riverside Street is expected in FY25 and construction to begin not until the spring of 2026. At this time the street is in the 50% design development/coordination phase.

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