Road work on Mt. Auburn Street continues with drainage work in Coolidge Square, and tree protection installation near Walnut Street. The City of Watertown provided the following update on the Mt. Auburn Street Project.
Drainage Installation Continues Between Arlington St. and Bigelow Ave. on Eastbound Side
Newport Construction will continue their drainage installation work on Mount Auburn Street between Arlington Street and Bigelow Avenue on the eastbound side of the roadway. You can expect to see construction crews in this area from 7am to 5pm.
Traffic Impacts
Expect lane closures and lane shifts in this area, but no detours. Traffic will continue to flow in each direction, though narrowed to one lane in each direction. Police details will assist to maintain the traffic flow in both directions. Sidewalks in the construction area will be narrowed, but not closed.
Parking Impacts
Street parking in the construction area on Mount Auburn Street during this phase will be restricted. Construction crews will post parking closure signs in those areas starting at 7am and will be removing them from the area by 5pm each day. You can still find metered parking outside the immediate construction zone on Mount Auburn Street, as well as on Wells Avenue and in the Wells Avenue municipal parking lot.
Tree Protection Installation
Newport will continue installing tree protection along Mount Auburn Street between School Street and Summer Street. Work will take place from 7 AM to 5 PM and will be confined to the sidewalks. A police detail will be on-site to assist pedestrians around the work areas. This work will not affect traffic or parking.
(Note: All dates are approximate and will be dependent on weather conditions and any testing yet to be performed.)
About the Project
The Mount Auburn Street Project will transform the corridor into a Complete Street, providing safe and accessible options for all modes. This project will also provide increased efficiency on the MBTA Bus Route 71, improve traffic operations and pedestrian and bicycle accommodations, improve accessibility in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and improved aesthetics.
We will post construction schedules and other work notifications consistently on the project website, and via the City’s social media accounts. You can sign up to receive project email updates here. For questions, please visit the website’s FAQ or email the project team directly.
Trees for Watertown thanks Newport Construction for working closely with Watertown Forestry Supervisor/Tree Warden Mike Micieli to install barriers to protect our city’s shade trees along Mount Auburn Street during this extensive road reconstruction project.
Our existing big shade trees are an essential and increasingly important part of our city’s protective infrastructure as New England’s climate gets weirder. They provide environmental and community benefits that a young tree can replace only after many years of healthy growth.
However in many cases those barriers only protect the trunk of the tree. It’s important to remember that it takes just seconds for heedless construction work to do irrecoverable damage to the root systems of shade trees — damage that may not kill a big healthy tree right away, but that signs their eventual death warrant.
Newport unfortunately has a long history of poor street tree protection in Watertown and in other local cities too. This job is an opportunity for Newport to start repairing that reputation. We wish them well!
As the work progresses, we encourage Watertown residents to keep a protective eye on Mount Auburn street trees near your home or on your commute. If you see torn roots, damaged bark, or heavy equipment burdening a tree’s root zone, please report your concern immediately by calling or texting 311 or 617-715-8660, or via SeeClickFix (https://seeclickfix.com/watertown_4). Report the nearest street number or intersection, the apparent damage, and please state that attention to this is urgent. If you can send a photo, that would be helpful too.
Thank you from Trees for Watertown!
Thank you TO Trees for Watertown!!!