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

Crews work to build a wider sidewalk (and a bike lane) alongside Nunziato Park for all park users--human and canine alike.

What can you say about May in Somerville? A lot. With last weekend's Open Studios, Sustainaville Week, this weekend's Porchfest, and the ongoing Slice of City Series, there is a lot to discuss. Here we'll focus on the sidewalks and streets people use to get to these events and all the other infrastructure that keeps our city running. So let's get to it.

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: 

• Spring Hill Sewer Separation – Preparing for Final Paving  
• Central Broadway (and Medford Street) Water Main Updates 
• Holland Street Sidewalk Work Progress 
• Tufts Street Construction Kickoff  
• Western Pearl Street Design Open House
• Subterranean Somerville: Take a Tour of the Poplar Street Pump Station

Even by Spring Hill’s standards, there is a lot of work going on at the moment. That is because crews are in the midst of the project’s final stages ahead of substantial completion, currently planned for the end of June.  

In addition to bringing wider sidewalks to Nunziato Park and a safer raised intersection and pocket green space at the intersection of Prescott Street/Summer Street/Quincy Street, crews are working to prepare the streets for final paving and to install remaining traffic calming installations across the project area.  

Among the remaining work:

• Final paving on all project streets including Central Street, School Street, Oxford Street, Hersey Street, Gibbens Street, and Cambria Street, and lower Summer Street.  
• Raised crossings across Central Street between Summer Street and Highland
• Speed humps at select locations on Summer Street and one on School Street between Avon St. and Berkeley St. 

Central Street (Summer St. to Highland Ave.) in preparation for final paving expected early next month.

City contractors are working this spring/summer to update water mains (the pipes that deliver water to residents and businesses) along Broadway between Cedar Street and Temple Street and along the section of Medford Street that passes through Magoun Square (Broadway to Trull Street).  

Updating the mains increases their capacity and prevents leaks or other issues from arising, helping us deliver quality water service with fewer interruptions. 

Other Utility Work on Broadway

The water mains aren’t the only underground utility on Broadway getting an upgrade. National Grid has also been working on Broadway between Cedar Street and Medford Street to update the gas main and services. This work is nearing completion as crews have completed the mainline installation and are now working on services (smaller pipes that connect individual properties to the new gas main).  

Crews are nearing completion of sidewalk reconstruction on Holland Street outside of Davis Square (approximately Simpson Avenue to Wallace Street).

Newly built sidewalk on Holland Street outside of Dave's Fresh Pasta

What's Next? 

Sidewalk reconstruction in Teele Square on Holland Street between Newbury Street and Claremon Street is expected to begin as early as the week of May 12.

Following this sidewalk work, crews will begin constructing a new raised intersection at the intersection of Holland Street, Irving Street, and Thorndike Street and prepare to repave sections of the roadway.  

This is a construction newsletter, but what is construction without design? As we prepare for construction on one street, we’re developing concepts and gathering feedback for another. Below you’ll find info about a pre-construction meeting for Tufts Street hosted by the Engineering Division and a design open house for Western Pearl Street hosted by the Mobility team.  

Western Pearl Street Concept Design Open House - Tues., May 13 at 5 p.m

Along with new sidewalks and street pavement, the Western Pearl Street Reconstruction Project will bring a range of safety and accessibility improvements to the neighborhood.

As a next step in the process, Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, Ward 4 Councilor Jesse Clingan, Ward 1 Councilor Matt McLaughlin, and City staff are excited to invite community members to come to an open house to learn more about the project, review the preliminary concept design options, and share their input. 

When: Tuesday, May 13 from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Where: Ed Leathers Park between Skilton Ave. and Walnut St.

At the outdoor open house, community members can explore different stations describing aspects of the design and talk directly to the project team about their questions and comments. Pizza will be provided. 

If community members cannot attend, there will be multiple other ways to share feedback such as through an online feedback survey, a virtual office hour, a street outreach pop-up, and more.  

Tufts Street Construction Kickoff - Wednesday, May 14 at 6 p.m.

The City is repaving Tufts Street and reconstructing its sidewalks as part of the Citywide Pavement and Sidewalk Management Program (somervillema.gov/paving). As part of this effort, City staff have, after a year and a half of community engagement, developed a new design for the street to make it safer and more comfortable for everyone.

Newly painted mural along the soon-to-be-reconstructed Tufts Street

Join a virtual community meeting on Wednesday, May 14 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Zoom.

During the meeting, staff from the City’s Engineering Division will present information about the project, including:  

• A brief review of the project objectives and final design
• An overview of the construction process, expected impacts, and preliminary schedule of work
• How residents can stay informed as work progresses 

Following the event, a recorded presentation will be available on the project website. Construction is currently expected to begin in either late June or July.

Visit the project website to learn more and attend the virtual meeting. 

Join Mayor Ballantyne, Director of Infrastructure and Asset Management, Rich Raiche, and the project team on a tour of this transformational project.

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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