A major utility project that will impact all of Louise Street and parts of North Beacon and Arsenal streets will be discussed during a community meeting on May 17 hosted by Eversource and National Grid.
The project includes work by both utilities on Louise Street, National Grid gas main replacement on North Beacon Street and Eversource electrical work on Arsenal Street.
Planning for the work began five or six years ago when Eversource began planning to build a new substation in Brighton, said Assistant Town Manager Steve Magoon.
“It is important for Watertown to be connected into that to bring service into Watertown,” Magoon told the Town Council in April.
Eversource will install four manholes and more than 2,800 feet of electrical conduit. Three manholes and 980 feet of conduit will be installed on North Beacon Street, from Louise Street east. On Louise Street a manhole and 385 feet of conduit will be installed. More than 500 feet of conduit will be installed on Arsenal Street, stretching both east and west from the Louise Street intersection.
National Grid will be installing more than 1,000 feet of 12-inch and 6-inch gas mains. It will start on Louise at Arsenal Street on Louise Street and head south to North Beacon Street. It will go from there east to a new Regulator Station. The work will replace gas mains on Louise and the existing Regulator Station on Arsenal Street.
Louise Street has many utility lines, and one of them is 14-feet down, making it difficult to repair. That will be relocated.
Roadways will be impacted during the project, said Department of Public Works Superintendent Gerry Mee. Because of the intensity of the work on Louise Street, the road will be closed during construction. North Beacon Street will have some narrowing during the work but traffic will continue to flow.
Residents of Frank Street, which comes off Louise Street, worried that their street would become a staging area for the project. Mee said equipment will be stored off site.
After the utility work has been completed, the roadway on Louise Street will be complete replaced and resurfaced. The street will also get granite curbs installed and handicap ramps installed, Mee said.
This project is a rare collaboration between the town and two utilities, he added.
“I’ve never seen such cooperation,” Mee said.
Representatives from both companies will be at the community meeting to provide a project overview and to answer questions related to construction. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 17 at 7 p.m. in the Council Chamber, Town Hall, 149 Main St., Watertown.
For more information contact the community relations representatives from the utilities:
Eversource: 781-314- 5023
National Grid: 781-907- 3804
“After the utility work has been completed, the roadway on Louise Street will be complete replaced and resurfaced. The street will also get granite curbs installed and handicap ramps installed, Mee said.”
And… will the choke point at Louise and Arsenal ever be corrected? Seems like the
ideal opportunity to address it. And no, installing yet another traffic light is not the solution.
I noticed they repainted Arsenal at Louise St. to have more room in the west-bound lane, but there’s still not enough room for a car to bypass if someone has stopped to take a left onto Louise.
I thought the company that did the curb incorrectly was going to fix it.
Is that not happening?
They are supposed to fix it. Not sure when that will happen.
Well it certainly does not look like they are going to fix it since they have done all the bike lane painting and landscaping already.
I asked Councillor Feltner to suggest a speed bump or two on Louise Street when they pave as it is already a speedway which will get worse with a smooth surface. Also asked about the possibility of restricting access to to local traffic or have weight restrictions. We get buses, Athena Health shuttles, even the occasional car carrier coming down the street. Not a safe situation, especially with two disabled individuals living there.