Around Town

DPW Recommends Seven Watertown Roads to be Repaved in 2021

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The roads in Watertown proposed to be repaired in 2021. The Department of Public Works recommended that seven roads around Watertown be reconstructed during the 2021 construction season. The list of roads to undergo full reconstruction, including sidewalks, was presented to the Town Council’s Public Works subcommittee on Sept. 24. The roads that made the list are:

Alden Road Sheldon RoadHazel Street (Quimby Street to Dexter Avenue) Gertrude StreetGoldie StreetElmwood AvenueGrandview Avenue (Chapman Street to Copeland Street)

Town Engineer Matt Shuman explained that the roads were chosen were in the greatest state of disrepair.

Around Town

State Discussing Renumbering of Highway Exits at Virtual Meeting

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The following information was provided by MassDOT:

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing an upcoming virtual Public Information Meeting for MassDOT’s Statewide Exit Renumbering Project on Thursday, Sept. 24 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This project is converting all existing exit numbers on freeways to a milepost-based numbering system, per Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requirements. The public meeting will cover information about the project, the construction schedule, and the project team will be there to answer questions. The meeting link is available through registration at this site. Construction is scheduled to begin on this project in mid-October of this year and is anticipated to end in the Summer of 2021.

Government

Watertown Receives a Gift of BlueBike Stations

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Watertown will be getting seven Bluebike stations, with the first few already installed. Watertown received more than $200,000 in gifts to establish BlueBike rental stations in town. The move was made so that the Town did not have to own the bicycles or be responsible for the upkeep. The Town of Watertown received a gift of $224,257.06 worth of items to install six BlueBike Stations with 38 bicycles to be rented. The items were donated by MetroFuture Inc., a non-profit charitable organization, said Town Manager Michael Driscoll.

Transportation

Lane on Mass Pike Closing for 6 Months Due to Overpass Project

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The following announcement was provided by MassDOT:

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing that beginning late tonight the left travel lane of I-90 eastbound and westbound will be closed in the area of the Massachusetts Avenue overpass due to the establishment of a work zone for an air rights project at 1001 Boylston Street. As outlined at recent public meetings, the left travel lanes for a distance of approximately one mile will be closed 24/7 for a period of approximately six months. After six months, the left travel lanes will reopen and the right travel lanes in each direction will be closed. The air rights project work zone requires one lane in each direction to be closed during peak travel times. Meanwhile, there will be temporary off-peak hour lane restrictions beginning in July 2021 and lasting approximately six months. In addition, in 2021 there will be several weekend diversions on the MBTA Worcester Commuter Rail Line, anticipated to occur over four weekends during the summer months. Samuels & Associates is building the Parcel 12 Air Rights project at 1001 Boylston Street and transportation impacts associated with the project are being managed by Howard Stein Hudson, with consultation from MassDOT. More information and updates can be found at the developer’s project website:  www.buildp12.com.

Around Town

Many Watertown Bus Routes Will See Service Changes in Fall

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The 71 bus will have increased service beginning Aug. 30. It is one of several MTBA routes serving Watertown that will see changes. Several bus routes serving Watertown will see changes in service beginning August 30, including increased service on the 70 and 71 buses. Other routes begin operating on a limited schedule, or route, one will have increased weekend service and one will continue to be suspended.

Transportation

Bus Schedule Changes Topic of Upcoming Online MBTA Meetings

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Buses like this one on the 71 bus will get priority heading toward Harvard Square on Mt. Auburn Street in the new Cambridge-Watertown Bus Priority Pilot program. The MBTA provided the following information:

The MBTA will host virtual meetings on Sunday, August 12, and Monday, August 13, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. to present details on fall bus schedule details and changes. The virtual meeting on August 12 will be in Spanish and the virtual meeting on August 13 will be in English. These virtual meetings will be held on GoToWebinar, a video conferencing platform.

Around Town

7 Bluebike Stations Being Installed in Watertown

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Watertown will be getting seven Bluebike stations, with the first few being installed in early August. The first few of the seven Bluebike stations coming to Watertown will be installed with in the next few days. Steve Magoon, Assistant Town Manager and Director of Community Development and Planning, welcomed Bluebike’s expansion into town. “This is an exciting opportunity to bring bike share to Watertown, and provide connections to the other communities and to the T, with a consistent program throughout the region,” Magoon said. “The experience for the public will be seamless and much more functional.”

Watertown Transportation Planner Laura Wiener said the first station is due to be installed in Coolidge Square on Friday, July 31.

Around Town

Drivers Can Renew Licenses Online, Upgrade Free to REAL ID

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The following announcement was provided by MassDOT:

The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) is encouraging all eligible customers to renew their standard Massachusetts driver’s license or Massachusetts ID card online at Mass.Gov/RMV any time between now and August 12, 2020, in order to qualify for a free upgrade to a REAL ID credential in 2021. This one-time, time limited offer is available to most customers who have an expired or expiring license or ID card dated between March 2020 and August 2021, as renewals are allowed up to two years after expiration, or up to a year in advance of the expiration date printed on their license or ID. “The RMV is encouraging all of our customers to stay safe, save time, and go online during the COVID-19 pandemic to renew their license or ID card, rather than attempting to come in to get a REAL ID,” said RMV Registrar Jamey Tesler. “Over 500,000 people have a license or ID credentials that expires this summer that can be renewed online, and we hope they will all take advantage of this one-time offer for a free, future upgrade to allow the RMV to prioritize ‘social-distancing’ and other essential transactions that may only be completed in-person.”

Qualifying customers who complete their renewal online prior to August 12th and wish to upgrade to a REAL ID for free, will have to wait until at least February 2021 to visit an RMV Service Center. At this time, customers will not need a federally-compliant REAL ID for the purposes of boarding domestic flights prior to October 1, 2021 because the federal government delayed the compliance effective date by one-year. The fee for obtaining a standard or REAL ID license is $50, while the fee for obtaining a standard or REAL ID card is $25.