Police/Fire

Car Crashes Through Storefront, Closes Arsenal Street to Deal with Gas Line

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An elderly driver drove through the window of a vacant office at 440 Arsenal St. on Thursday. (Courtesy of Watertown Fire Department)

An elderly man driving on Arsenal Street on Thursday left the roadway and crashed through a vacant storefront, breaking a gas line. Watertown Police received multiple 911 calls about a vehicle that drove through the window of an unoccupied and vacant office at 440 Arsenal St. at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, said Watertown Police Sgt.

Around Town

DCR Announces Arsenal Street Lane Closures Beginning This Week

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A lane will be closed on the east end of Arsenal Street, the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation announced. The DCR sent out the following announcement:

Beginning on Monday, August 21, 2023, and continuing through Friday, September 8, 2023, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will close the right lane of Arsenal Street (westbound) from Greenough Boulevard to Greenough Boulevard in the Town of Watertown to accommodate curbing and guardrail installation work. Traffic patterns will be clearly marked, and a police detail will be on site.  

WHERE: Arsenal Street (westbound) from Greenough Boulevard to Greenough Boulevard in the Town of Watertown 

WHEN: Monday, August 21, 2023 – Friday, September 8, 2023 

Government

Arsenal Street Renovation Will Go Through Mid-2024, Bids Requested

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A section of Arsenal Street on the east end of the major roadway in Watertown has been redesigned and will be repaved. The project is expected to run though mid-2024. The call for bids put out by the City of Watertown on Dec. 22 is for a project including the reconstruction includes 3,422 feet of roadway from Arsenal Way to Greenough Boulevard, and will install traffic signals at four locations. The full depth of the roadway will be replaced, and granite curbing and cement sidewalks will be installed.

Alexandria Real Estate

Roadwork on Mt. Auburn & Arsenal Streets Could Overlap

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Two of Watertown’s major roadways in the eastern part of town are scheduled to be undergoing roadwork at the same time. On Aug. 9, the City Council approved funds to replace water mains on Mt. Auburn Street, and also accepted easements provided by properties on Arsenal Street to allow for improvements along the sidewalks. Some of the work will occur simultaneously, which concerned some Councilors, including Tony Palomba.

Government

Council Backs Bike/Pedestrian Path Extension On Arsenal St., Keeps Open Off-Road Option

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After looking at three options, one was eliminated, and two were moved forward with one chosen as the recommended route. The recommended route would be to continue the path along Arsenal Street, which currently goes along the north side of the street from School Street to Irving Street. It would continue west to Taylor Street and then go along Taylor, cross Mt. Auburn Street and then go along Baptist Walk, through the municipal parking lots in Watertown Square to link with the path near the Watertown Library. The cost estimate for the project is $1.3 million, according to VHB, the project designer.

85 Walnut St.

Life Science Building With Garage & Park Approved by Zoning Board

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A rendering of what the life science building at 85 Walnut St. will look like from Arsenal Street. The Zoning Board of Appeals gave final approval to a life science building on the former Doble Engineering property. The four story building near Arsenal Street will also have a parking garage and a park along Walnut Street. The project came before the board for the second time Wednesday night, and the board approve the project with some additional requirements.

Around Town

Major Intersection on Arsenal St. Undergoing Repaving

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The area of Arsenal Street near School Street will be repaved beginning this week. The project, which is being overseen by Athenahealth. is slated to begin with milling (scraping off the top layer of asphalt) on Nov. 19, weather permitting. The work on Arsenal Street goes from School Street to the entrance to the recently built West Garage in the Arsenal on the Charles.

Arsenal Street

LETTER: Proposed Road Projects Will Hurt Neighborhoods, Small Businesses

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The DPW and Planning Department have been working on improving the traffic flow through Watertown Square, as well as making it and Mt. Auburn Street friendlier to bicyclists and pedestrians. However, as usual, they are not considering neighborhood integrity, nor the needs of small businesses. It is funny to me that they are touting “complete streets,” which simply means designing for more modes of transportation than cars. Cities in Europe have been doing this type of design for over 60 years, but we have just “discovered” it here in the U.S., and we don’t do it well yet.