The past several months have been tough for businesses in Coolidge Square with the road construction and utility work on Mt. Auburn Street. While the project is expected to last another three years, heavy construction is largely done until spring and City and construction officials have committed to improving communication with business owners.
Coolidge Square business owners heard from City of Watertown officials, as well as representatives from MassDOT (which is in charge of the project) and Newport Construction, which is doing the road reconstruction.
The business owners said they did not know who to call with questions or concerns. City Manager George Proakis noted that it can be complicated with three entities involved in the project.
“With three different entities working here — with the MassDOT team supervising, the Newport team out there, constructing, and us out there trying to be helpful — how we do communications and connections is key,” Proakis said. “So the first thing I will say is calling 311, during the hours they are open, or leaving them a message during the hours they are not open, reaching out through us, through Laura (Murray).”
Murray is in contact with MassDOT and Newport and can get answers to questions. She also sends out weekly updates on the project.
“We send out an email every Friday with that information that we get on Thursday, which includes traffic impacts, what work is going to be done, the area of the work, as well as maps of where that work will be going,” Murray said.
The latest updates can be seen on the Mount Auburn Street Project website (mountauburnstreet.com). To sign up for the Mount Auburn Street Project emails, click here.
Watertown Public Works Director Tom Brady said that the construction team is planning to have a community meeting, probably in March, to let people know what will be happening in the spring before the construction restarts.
Construction Time
The headaches from construction will be around for a few more years, but the pain will not be constant, said Kristopher Surette from Tighe & Bond, designers of the project. He added the project will take four to five construction seasons, and said it started in 2024 and is anticipated to be finished in 2028.
“And when we say that, we’re not in front of your business for five years, we’re in front of your business multiple times within that five years,” Surette said. “So we’re doing utilities, and then you’ll see a crew come back and do the roadway reconstruction. Our crew will come back and do sidewalks, and then our crew will come back and do any of the site furnishings.”
Some at the meeting noted that they were not sure about what the project will look like when completed. They suggested that the Mount Auburn Street Project website feature the final plans and images of what it will look like.
The project runs from the Cambridge line to the area near Starbucks. Surette said the final product will include new sidewalks, new curbing, a new road box, new traffic signals, and then some of the areas for pedestrian gathering spaces or planting areas. There will be dedicated bike lanes for 95 percent of the project area, and street parking will remain. For most of the length of the roadway, the number of travel lanes will be reduced from two to one each direction, with turn lanes for key intersections.
Erin Rathe, the City’s Senior Planner for Economic Development, said that the pedestrian areas will have branding for Coolidge Square.
“There’s actually some beautiful branding that’s going on with this. There are several corners that are going to get a big granite wall that’s got Coolidge Square embossed right into it,” Rathe said. “It’ll be seating. There’s beautiful landscaping that goes with it. We’re trying to create some places in Coolidge square where people can sit for a little while and enjoy their lot of street trees being put in as part of this.”
Rathe said another part of the beautification of the area will be art installations.
Concerns
Some of the areas of concern for local businesses include the uncertainty of when road work will be taking place, especially when lanes and on-street parking are closed. Also, some said that workers and construction vehicles were parking in some of the scarce on-street spots, and that the noise from the work can make doing business difficult.
Tony Barrile, vice president of Newport Construction, said the heavy work will be winding down for the season soon.
“If all goes well, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, all the pavement is done, and then the temporary striping comes out, and now that’s it for the season as far as paving,” Barrile said. “There’ll be no more sidewalks, because the temperatures and the weather won’t allow it. The only thing going on for the rest of the winter is continuing towards Watertown Square with the pipe work.”
Come spring, the work will recommence with installation of sidewalks.
“The challenges in the spring are going to be continuing with the curbs and the sidewalks,” Barrile said. “First thing in April, we’re going to be starting from Greg’s Restaurant, because that’s not done. And we’ll finish up anything on that side of the road, and then we will do Arlington Street and continue with all those.”
Business owners were concerned with people being able to enter their stores, as well as parking. Barrile said crews would work with businesses to make sure that they can remain open, and will time the sidewalk installations. The majority of the sidewalk will be replaced during the day, but a strip of gravel 3 to 4 feet wide leading to doorways will be left so the businesses are still accessible. A Newport representative will speak to businesses to coordinate the work.
“So when all the rest of the concrete is done. Now we gotta tie the piece in front of your doorway,” Barrile said. “If we come in at 4 a.m. and we put a little accelerant in the concrete, by 9, 10 o’clock, we could put a piece of plywood over it, and you could walk in and do business as usual.”
Businesses asked to be alerted more than a day in advance that the parking in front of their stores and restaurants will be blocked off so they can plan ahead. They also asked for signage telling people how to get to lots in the area, including the one on Wells Avenue, because people who do not live in the area may not even know that it exists.
Another request was improved signage on Mt. Auburn Street. The ones used now are small, and are quite high, so it is hard to see from a vehicle and pedestrians may not see them.
Barrile said Newport has the signs that say “Business Open During Construction,” and said that others can be made if they know what to say.
Brady said that there are some limitations where to put signs due to federal regulations, and they cannot be at eye level because people might run into them. In addition, they are running out of poles to put the signs on.
Brady added that the City bought two message boards to put on Mt. Auburn Street to alert people about the project, and say “Support Your Local Businesses.”