Arsenal Street

Find Out Where the New Dunkin’ Donuts Will Open in Watertown

By |

Watertown’s newest Dunkin’ Donuts store will be opening on Arsenal Street this month. 

The store will be located at 640 Arsenal St., at the corner of Coolidge Avenue, in the space formerly occupied by the Aegean Restaurant. David Carvalho, CFO and Principal of Riverside Management Group, the owners of the store (and 19 others), said the opening day will be sometime in mid-March, and customers will enjoy a modern store. “The new location will be a state of the art Dunkin’ Donuts location, with all of the newest and greatest customer features, ranging from flat screen TV’s to a designated ‘on-the-go’ parking spot for any customers ordering through the On-the-Go mobile app,” Carvalho said. “The store will also feature a large seating area with a wide variety of seating options from comfortable soft seats to relax and enjoy breakfast to a larger meeting area spaces to ‘plug in’ and do some work.” The location will not have a drive-through window.

Arsenal Street

Town Working With Developers to Fix Issues on Arsenal Street

By |

Travelers of Arsenal Street will have noticed the sticking point as you head west toward Watertown Square near the Lexus dealer. Town officials are working with the developers of a nearby apartment complex to fix the situation. The problem has been caused by the new raised bicycle path that runs in front of the block of businesses on that area of Arsenal Street and stretches a bit too far. The extra section causes a choke point when drivers try to turn left onto Louise Street because cars have no room to go around, said Town Engineer Matt Shuman. “The bump out was supposed to end west of Louise,” Shuman said.

Development

New Apartment Complex on Arsenal Street Opens its Doors, Retail Coming

By |

Gables Arsenal Street, one of the new apartment complexes in Watertown, has opened its first phase, and will eventually add more buildings, including a commercial area which could have a small market. 

The complex, located at 204 Arsenal Street, opened on Oct. 15, and several of the luxury apartments have already been occupied, said Makrina Ormond, Community Manager for Gables Arsenal Street. Gables Arsenal Street will eventually have 296 units, but the first phase has 84 units, Ormond said. There is a mix of one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments and one townhouse. The complex is pet friendly – cats and some dogs – and offers amenities such as a pool, a patio with a barbecue and a fire pit, a movie theater style media room, a fitness center and a yoga and spin room, Ormond said.

Government

State Looks for Ways to Improve Traffic, Transportation on Arsenal Street

By |

Residents attending the MassDOT’s community forum Tuesday night heard some things they already knew – traffic and bus service is bad on Arsenal Street – and other things they didn’t want to know – it will get much worse unless something is done. 

The Department of Transportation’s consultants from VHB told residents that traffic could increase significantly the next 25 years and that will result in more crowded and more late MBTA buses. They also discussed ways to improve public transportation and traffic on the Arsenal Street Corridor during the second community meeting on improvements to the area. Traffic will increase 17 percent in the morning peak traffic hour and 21 percent in the evening peak traffic hour, said Laura Castelli, a consultant from VHB. Looking at traffic flow, most of the congestion currently is at the two “gateways” to the Arsenal Corridor: Watertown Square and the Western Avenue/Soldier Field Road interchange on the other side of the Arsenal Street Bridge, Castelli said. Currently, 15-35 percent of stops are above capacity the way the MBTA measures it – all seats are full during non-peak time and in peak times, the bus is at capacity for sitting and standing.

Around Town

Expect Detours on Arsenal Street on Tuesday Due to Construction

By |

The westbound lanes of Arsenal Street will be closed due to nearby construction on Tuesday, Oct. 4 from 7 a.m to 3 p.m. and detours will be set up. Eastbound traffic will be sent down Irving Street, to North Beacon Street and back up Louise Street to Arsenal Street. Traffic heading west will use Arsenal Street and will be rerouted around the work zone. Police officers will be assigned to the area to help vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

Arsenal Street

UPDATE: Detours Coming as One Side of Arsenal Street to is Closed Road Work

By |

The westbound side of Arsenal Street will be closed on Friday, Sept. 30 while crews work on the road, and eastbound traffic will be detoured. 

The road will be milling the pavement (removing the top part of the roadway) on the westbound side from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., the contractor informed the Watertown Department of Public Works. “In order to expedite this work a temporary detour will be set up for the Arsenal Street eastbound traffic utilizing Irving Street, North Beacon Street and Louise Street,” the contractor wrote. “Westbound traffic along Arsenal Street will remain on Arsenal Street and rerouted around the work zone.” Several police officers will be in the area to assist drivers and pedestrians navigate the area. Buses will be allowed to travel along Arsenal Street and current bus stops will be maintained.

Arsenal Project

New Mall Entrance, Paths Could be Included in Arsenal Mall Renovation

By |

Some significant changes to the roadways around the Arsenal Mall could be in store as part of the major renovation project. The master plan for the Arsenal Project will soon be submitted to the town, and the architects and planners behind the project met with the public for the fifth time Wednesday night. Traffic and transportation was a major focus, along with some updated views of the mall. The plan for the mall includes a movie theater, a grocery store, a bowling alley, more restaurants and a few hundred housing units. The new development would add more than 6,300 trips (a car going to and leaving counts as two trips) during a typical weekday, according to Giles Ham, traffic engineer with Vanasse & Associates.