Government

Soil Borings to be Taken on Multiple Watertown Streets

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Multiple streets in Watertown will be impacted by exploratory boring beginning April 22. The Department of Public Works announced that Pine Street, Essex Street, Nash Street and Oak Street will be the locations of bore drilling beginning Monday, April 22, at 7 a.m. Work, to be done by New England Geotech, is expected to last until 5 p.m. and occur over two days. “Disturbances to residents are anticipated to be minor, but residents may notice elevated short-term noise levels and equipment working,” according to the DPW announcement. Two-inch bores will be taken to test soil. Each bore takes between 1-3 hours to complete.

Department of Public Works

Stormwater Management Plan to be Discussed by Committee & DPW

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Find out about Watertown’s Stormwater Management Plan at the next meeting of the Stormwater Advisory Committee the information provided by the Department of Public Works below. The Watertown Stormwater Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, April 25 at 7 p.m. in the Lower Hearing Room in Town Hall. Come to learn more about the Town’s program for managing stormwater runoff and to help us update our Stormwater Management Plan. Learn about stormwater runoff and its impact to the Charles RiverHear how the Town regulates stormwater runoff from developmentContribute to the Town’s Stormwater Management PlanBrainstorm ways to engage Watertown about stormwater

Stormwater from Watertown’s drainage system flows directly into the Charles River without treatment and contributes to pollution in the river. The EPA requires the Town to take certain measures to control and treat stormwater runoff.

Government

Roadwork Project Will Impact Multiple East End Streets

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A road work project that will impact multiple streets in the East End begins this week, Department of Public Works officials announced. The project includes installation of the “final asphalt wearing surface” on Edgecliff Road, Woodleigh Road, Westland Road and Templeton Parkway. According to the DPW announcement, work will begin on Wednesday, April 17, weather permitting. “The area will be closed to motor vehicle traffic during the paving process,” the announcement states. “Please park your motor vehicles out of the construction area on the intersecting side streets if necessary.”

Department of Public Works

LETTER: Kudos to Watertown’s Town Engineer for Winning Award

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Editor:

Matt Shuman, Watertown’s Town Engineer, was honored at the Charles River Watershed Association’s annual meeting last week. He received their Rita Barron Public Official Award for his efforts with the Edenfield Avenue Green Street project. This was a project to install innovative green infrastructure elements in a major road reconstruction project on Edenfield Ave. According to CRWA, “Matt was deeply involved with the design and engineering of the tree trenches and bioswales that were introduced into the public right of way. The project not only acts as a traffic calmer, it treats a substantial amount of polluted storm-water runoff, recharging it into the ground rather than sending it into the Charles River.” This project was featured in a U.S. EPA online workshop on Green Street approaches, and has provided useful lessons-learned for design of green infrastructure stormwater approaches in future Watertown road reconstruction projects.

Government

Watertown Declares Snow Emergency for This Weekend’s Storm

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A snow plow clears snow from a parking lot. The Town of Watertown has declared a snow emergency beginning Saturday evening. See details below. The following announcement came from the Town of Watertown:

A winter weather event is predicted with 8-10 inches of snow accumulation in our area. The Superintendent of Public Works has declared a snow emergency effective 6:00 p.m. Saturday January 19, 2019, and will remain in effect until further notice.

Government

See Which Watertown Roads Will be Repaired in 2019

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Eight Watertown roads will undergo full repaving in the 2019 construction season, while others will get a new top layer on the the worst sections of the roadway. 

Each year the town sets aside $2.5 million in its budget for road repair. The Town Council’s Public Works subcommittee approved the recommendation of the roads to be repaired next year at a meeting Tuesday night. The list, presented by the Department of Public Works, still must get approval of the full Town Council. The roads that made the list are:

Bellevue Road, from Channing Road to Common StreetAvon RoadChandler StreetBurnham StreetBridgham AvenueNichols Avenue, from Dexter Avenue to Boylston StreetBartlett Street, including Everett Avenue

District C Councilor Vincent Piccirilli, chair of the subcommittee, wondered if the double yellow line would remain on Nichols Avenue. 

“The reality is people park on both sides and people drive straddling the double yellow line,” Piccirilli said. “Under traffic laws it is illegal to do so.”

Department of Public Works

Expect Delays on Main Street Due to Installation of Curbs, Crosswalk Improvements

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Starting Tuesday, Sept. 5, Traffic on Main Street will likely be slowed due to construction of a new sidewalk and improvements to a crosswalk between the Watertown Library and the Post Office. The Department of Public Works announced details of the roadwork, which will take place between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Traffic will flow in both directions, but could be delayed by the roadwork. Also, one of the stops for the MBTA’s 70/70A bus will move down the street. The following information was provided by the Watertown Department of Public Works:

Please be informed that Daigle Electric will be performing construction work on Main Street at the crosswalk between the Post Office and Public Library as part of MassDOT Project 608540; (District 6 – Pedestrian and Bicycle Facility upgrades at various locations).

Around Town

Public Works Encourages Residents to Report Spills in the Charles River

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{The following piece was provided by Town Engineer Matthew Shuman from the Watertown Department of Public Works}
We appreciate our citizens on the look-out for potential sources of pollution in the Charles River, and it’s unfortunate that this resident had a difficult time contacting someone after hours. I’m not sure about the particulars in this instance, but we do receive calls after hours using an answering service. Furthermore, we are staffed 24-7 for emergencies. Also, all our storm drains that enter the Charles River (“outfalls”) have signs and a number attached to them (see the photo). It’s helpful when reporting potential pollution to include the outfall number as well, as this can help us with follow-up investigations.