(Excavation of the 40-ft deep, 170 ft. diameter home to the Poplar St. Pump Station's underground stormwater storage tank.)

Welcome back to the City of Somerville's construction newsletter!



Whoever said April is the cruelest month probably hadn't heard about all the good work happening around Somerville to improve our city's infrastructure.

We’re back to invite you to see what's happening this spring, highlight an exciting future project, and more.

What We're Sharing This Month: 

• Work Underway on Western Washington Street
• Spring Hill Sewer Separation Continues
• Mystic River Outfall and Sewer Separation (Future Project)
• Eversource and National Grid - Gas Utility Work
• Subterranean Somerville: Green Stormwater Infrastructure in Spring Hill

Work is underway on the City’s effort to reconstruct western Washington Street. The new design will make traveling along the street safer and more comfortable for people walking, wheeling, biking, taking the bus, or driving. 

Spring Streetscape Work on Summer Street and School Street

Warmer weather means City contractors can begin work on new streetscape improvements around the Spring Hill neighborhood. 

Crews have picked-up where they left off last year on new sidewalks and irrigation along Summer Street. Accompanying these new sidewalks is a recently installed westbound cycle track (currently in progress as pictured below). 

Following completion of sidewalk work on Summer Street (anticipated in the next 1-2 weeks), crews will turn to School Street (Summer Street to Highland Avenue) to begin sidewalk work there.

Underground Utility Work

Elsewhere in the neighborhood, the final segments of major underground utility work are underway:

• Summer Street (School St. to Bow St.) - Installation of new water, drainage, and sewer utilities
• Highland Avenue (Walnut St. to Thorpe St.) - Installation of new water, drainage, and sewer utilities
• Highland Avenue (Benton Rd. to School St.) - Eversource Gas installation of new gas utilities
• This work is expected to continue through the Spring, requiring eastbound traffic on Highland Avenue to be detoured via Central St. and Medford St.

Virtual Community Meeting on April 24 at 6 p.m. to Offer Project Overview and Collect Neighborhood Feedback

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, Ward 4 Councilor Jesse Clingan, and City staff invite you to join a virtual community meeting to learn about flood relief and water quality improvement efforts planned for Winter Hill, Ten Hills, and the surrounding neighborhood.

At this meeting, City staff will introduce the project and share initial conceptual designs. Following the presentation, residents will have the opportunity to ask questions about the project and provide feedback.

Some services such as gas, electric, cable/internet are provided to Somerville residents through private utility companies. These companies regularly perform maintenance and improvement work within the city.

Gas Main Replacements for the 2024 Construction Season

Eversource Gas

• Bailey Street from North St. to West Adams St.
• Dane Street from Somerville Ave. to Washington St.
• Highland Avenue from Benton Rd. to School St. 

National Grid 

• Franklin Street from Broadway to Webster St. 
• Glen Street from Pearl St. to Webster St.
• Webster Street from Franklin St. to Glen St.
• Hathorn Street from Arlington St. to Broadway
• Arlington Street from Franklin St. to Lincoln St.

These bioretention basins are designed to collect, treat, and temporarily store stormwater runoff. Below is a previously installed bioretention basin along Somerville Avenue.

For more information on GSI coming to Spring Hill, check out last spring's construction update community meeting.

There is a lot of work being done in Somerville as we look to modernize and improve our city’s infrastructure, and we can’t cover it all in one email.

Stay up-to-date with what’s going on in your neighborhood and around the city via the following channels: 

• Sign up for City Alerts - Receive important notifications about work in your area.

• Follow us on Twitter - Tweets about curb-cuts, culverts, and more.

• Visit our new construction page - A comprehensive look at work across the city.

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