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

City contractors in the process of refreshing crosswalk markings

August is coming to a close and if you find yourself wondering when work to make the intersection of Somerville Avenue and Central Street safer is going to begin (early next month!), or what the difference is between thermoplastic and ruby lake pavement markings, you're in the right place.

As always, if you have any questions about the work below (or any work in the city) please don't hesitate to reach out to us at

construction@somervillema.gov.

What We're Sharing This Month: 

• Somerville Avenue at Central Street - Intersection Improvements
• Pavement Markings Refreshed
• Tufts Street Reconstruction Update
• Take the New PK-8 School Building Survey
• Subterranean Somerville – Underground Work Underway in East Somerville
• Keeping up to date 
• We can’t cover all the work in one newsletter 

We’re making the intersection of Somerville Avenue and Central Street safer by slowing vehicles, providing dedicated space for people taking the MBTA's 83 and 87 busses, and making it easier to cross the street.  

What exactly is happening?

Improved Crossings - A raised crosswalk will encourage people driving to slow down and curb extensions will shorten the distance from one side of the street to the other. 

Floating Bus Stops - Floating bus stops improve bus efficiency and provide dedicated waiting space for bus riders outside the paths of people walking, rolling, and biking.

Protected Bike Lane - Short segments of protected bike lanes near bus stops on both sides of the street help eliminate conflicts between buses and bikes at stops.

What to expect during construction

• Periodic detours will be in place for people using the roadway as well as the sidewalk. Please observe posted signage.  
• Occasional modifications to MBTA bus routes. Signage will be posted at affected stops and at mbta.com/bus  

Work is expected to begin in September and take approximately 2 months to complete. 

Pavement markings are a critical component of safe street design. Whether you are walking or rolling, cycling, driving, or taking transit, these crosswalk bars, center lines, and more provide important information about how to effectively navigate our streets.

Green methyl methacrylate pavement markings on Powder House Blvd.

Whether they are thermoplastic or methyl methacrylate (Interested in the difference? Check out the webpage below.), these markings are a critical component of our street design. 

New markings are often added through either quick-build safety improvement projects or during full street reconstruction. But what about the markings that are already on our streets? The City’s team of traffic engineers also work to ensure that existing markings are periodically refreshed.

Preform thermoplastic markings indicate two-way cyclist travel on the Glen Street neighborway

The team identifies markings that require repair or replacement based on their existing condition. In addition to weekly inspections conducted by the Traffic Engineer, we also consider feedback from constituents, so if you see markings that look like they could use a fresh report via it 311. The City’s pavement marking contractor installs and refreshes pavement markings weekly during overnight hours from April to November. 

If you’ve been waiting for work to make Tufts Street safer and more comfortable for everyone whether they are walking, rolling, biking, or driving, wait no longer. Following preliminary tree work in July, the City’s contractor is preparing to mobilize onsite to begin installing new drainage structures ahead of sidewalk reconstruction.  

Work is expected to begin the week of September 8th.  

The current condition of Tufts Street along with the new mural ahead of reconstruction. Check out this video by Alex Ezorsky and Neighborways Design that tells the story of how this mural came together.

The new design for Tufts still will include: 

• Two-way connections for vehicles and for bikes 
• Street pinch points for traffic calming 
• Landscaped areas 
• Four multipurpose parking spaces 
• Expanded tree wells for remaining mature/healthy trees to support the longevity and new trees to increase long-term shade coverage 
• Wider sidewalks 
• and new raised crossings across Tufts Street at Glen Street, Dell Street, and Cross Street. 

Interested in more information on the design and community engagement process? 

Through this project crews will be either replacing or repairing sewer utilities on streets highlighted on the map below.  

Visit the project website to learn more about this project and stay up to date as work progresses.

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 BlueSky - Posts about curb-cuts, culverts, and more.

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

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