During the week of Aug. 17-21, detours will be in place at Mt. Auburn and Chauncey streets due to the reconstruction of Mt. Auburn Street. Sidewalk work will continue near School and Arlington streets, and between Upland and Hillside roads. A bus stop will also be temporarily relocated.
See more information provided by the City of Watertown, below.
Sidewalk Grading & Forming
Sidewalk fine grading will take place on Mt. Auburn Street at School Street and on the westbound side at Arlington Street.
Sidewalk Pouring
Sidewalk pouring will take place on the westbound sidewalk along Mount Auburn Street between Upland Road and Hillside Road.
Sidewalk Removal
There will be no sidewalk removal this week.
Access & Travel Information Sidewalks: During this work, pedestrians will be asked to use the sidewalks on the opposite side of the street. Once the work is completed, temporary walkways will be maintained to allow pedestrian access.
Business Access: Pedestrians needing access to businesses within the active construction area will be directed to use rear entrances when available, or they will be escorted safely through the work zone by police details. Construction activities will be temporarily paused until pedestrians have safely entered the designated safe zone.
Traffic: During this work, you can expect temporary lane shifts and possibly lane closures, but one travel lane in each direction will be maintained on Mount Auburn Street.
Parking: Street parking in the construction area on Mt. Auburn Street will be restricted. Construction crews will post parking closure signs in those areas starting at 7 a.m. and will be removing them from the area by 5 p.m. each day.
Full Depth Road Reconstruction
Between Monday and Friday, construction crews will begin the next phase of their full depth road reconstruction between School Street and Adams Avenue. This work takes the existing asphalt and mixes it with the base layers. While this work is on-going, one lane of traffic will be maintained in both directions on Mount Auburn Street, but Chauncey Street access will be detoured. Please see the details below.
Detour
The following detour will be put in place during the construction starting on Monday, August 17:
Mt. Auburn Street: One lane of traffic in each direction will remain open throughout construction. Traffic will be shifted to either the eastbound or westbound side of the roadway as needed, depending on the location of the active work zone.
Chauncey Street: Access to Mt. Auburn Street from Chauncey Street will be closed beginning at the Hancock Street intersection. Drivers should follow the posted detour via Winthrop Street to reach Mt. Auburn Street.
MBTA Bus Stop Relocation
An MBTA bus stops along the 71 bus route will be impacted by the construction work in this area this week. Once this work is completed, the bus stop locations will return to its regular location. Riders should follow on-site signage to the new temporary location below:
Bus Stop ID 2038: Mt. Auburn Street @ Adams Avenue will be relocated to the corner of Mt. Auburn Street and Richards Road.
(Note: All dates are approximate and will be dependent on weather conditions and any testing yet to be performed.)
Resources from the City’s Economic Development Team
During construction in the Coolidge Square area, Watertown’s Economic Development team developed the below graphic to help residents get around Coolidge Square, whether by car, bike, bus, or walking. Keep up to date with any road closures, bus stop impacts, or parking limitations in the work detailed above! A larger version of this map can be found at Mount Auburn Street’s project website.