Around Town

Parts of Common Street Closing for Paving Project

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An illustration of the Common Street Reconstruction Project, including the roundabout at Orchard Street and a redesigned intersection at Spring Street. The Department of Public Works announced that sections of Common Street, including the rotary, will be closed while the final paving work is completed on the project. The Watertown DPW sent out the following announcement:

The Common Street project is scheduled to install top course paving on Common Street starting on Tuesday, September 8th. Work is anticipated to begin at Orchard Street and proceed towards Spring Street. To facilitate the paving, the roundabout and intersecting streets will be closed to vehicular traffic.

Around Town

Major Intersection on Arsenal St. Undergoing Repaving

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The area of Arsenal Street near School Street will be repaved beginning this week. The project, which is being overseen by Athenahealth. is slated to begin with milling (scraping off the top layer of asphalt) on Nov. 19, weather permitting. The work on Arsenal Street goes from School Street to the entrance to the recently built West Garage in the Arsenal on the Charles.

Government

Town Rebidding 2019 Road Projects, Announces Roads Being Repaired in 2020

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A road being repaired in Watertown. A higher than expected bid delayed the road repairs in Watertown in 2019, but they Town will seek to do both those roads and another eight in 2020. Tuesday night, the Town Council approved funding for construction of the 2019 projects, and also heard the recommended roads to be reconstructed in 2020. When the Town went to bid on the 2019 roads repair projects in May, only one firm bid on the work and it came in $693,000 (33.1 percent) over the $2.5 million budget, said Department of Public Works Superintendent Gerry Mee. This time, the bids will go out in December, ahead of other municipal road projects, and the work will be split up.

Around Town

Repaving Project Continuing This Week on N. Beacon St., Charles River Road

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Roads inside and outside of the Arsenal on the Charles will be repaved in early June. Roadwork will soon resume at the intersection of North Beacon Street and Charles River Road near the driveway to the Arsenal on the Charles. Athenahealth and its contractor, Charles Contracting, announced that road paving will take place in the area on Monday, March 17 and Tuesday, March 18 beginning at 9 a.m. (weather permitting). Athena owns the Arsenal on the Charles complex. Residents on that stretch of road are being asked to remove cars from driveways prior to this time “as you will not have access to driveways during this process,” the announcement said.

Department of Public Works

2019 Watertown Road Projects Delayed After Bids Come in Too High

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A slate of seven Watertown roads set to be repaved this year will likely have to wait until next spring after bids for the work came in much higher than expected. Town Manager Michael Driscoll told the Town Council on Tuesday that the bids for the 2019 Watertown street and sidewalk repair project came in and he recommends rejecting them. “There was only one bid and it was 33 percent higher than expected,” Driscoll said. The issue was referred to a joint meeting of the Town Council’s Public Works and Budget & Fiscal Oversight subcommittees to decide how to go forward. Public Works Superintendent Gerry Mee recommended that the bids go out later in the year.

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.”

Government

Council Subcommittee Wants Funds to Fix Longer Roads, Unsure About Prioritizing Streets Near Schools

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A road after being milled and prepared for overlay of new asphalt.

Last week, the Town Council’s Public Works subcommittee approved a set of roads to be reconstructed in 2019, but the list was limited to smaller, neighborhood streets. During the meetings, Councilors discussed ways to find money to do the longer roads leading from neighborhoods to the main arteries. One of the limitations for reconstructing secondary arteries is money. Council Vice President Vincent Piccirilli said it may be time for the Council to designate funds for rebuilding these roads, also known as collector roads. For the past several years, the Town’s budget has included $2.5 million for road and sidewalk construction.

Government

Sidewalk, Street Construction Around Hosmer School to Continue Through Fall

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The Watertown Department of Public Works provided this update on the construction on the sidewalks and streets around Hosmer School. 

Work has progressed on the MassDOT Hosmer School Safe Routes to School Project. The majority of work on the west side of School Street and in front of the Hosmer School has been completed. A section of the intersection at Chauncey Street has been left in a temporary condition as we continue to await Verizon and Eversource wire transfer. The focus of construction will now shift to the east side of Boylston Street, towards Fairfield/Dartmouth Street. Construction will continue during the fall.