Charlie Breitrose
The DPW discovered a culvert deep under Watertown Square that was not on any plans.
While doing some sewer work in the area of Watertown Square, the Department of Public Works discovered a forgotten culvert running right through the town’s biggest intersection.
About 18-feet under the roadway, the DPW found a culvert – a stone pipe – that was not on any of the town’s plans, said DPW Superintendent Gerald Mee. It is likely a stormwater pipe.
The culvert runs north-south, from Charles River Road to Mt. Auburn Street. He hopes that it is just a small section that has been sealed off on either end. It could be a waterway that was replaced by a 60-inch pipe running down Spring Street, Mee said.
“We will excavate down and put a camera in there to see how far it goes,” Mee said.
The DPW will then fill it in with “flowable fill,” which is a mixture of cement, water and aggregate that and be poured inside to fill the void, so that it does not collapse sometime down the road.