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Western Ave Reconstruction Project

Reconstruction of Western Ave between Green St and Memorial Dr


This project has been completed. No further updates to this project page will be made.



CONSTRUCTION NOTICE

Work to occur Friday, December 18 and Monday, December 21

Dear Neighbor,

In association with the Western Avenue Reconstruction Project, the City’s Contractor, D’Allessandro Corp., will perform trenchless pipe lining activities on Western Ave between Blackstone Street and Memorial Drive. This work is being conducted to ensure pipes will be structurally sound for many years to come. Work will be performed on Friday, December 18 and Monday, December 21.

What to Expect during Construction:
  • Work hours will be 7 AM to 4:30 PM. 
  • Crews will be set up in the South travel lane between Blackstone Street and Memorial Drive. 
  • Please be sure to check dates/times on “No Parking” signs.
  • Police officers will be on site to assist with vehicle traffic and pedestrians. 
  • Pedestrian access and access into properties will be maintained at all times, however the South sidewalk between Blackstone and Memorial will be closed with a detour in place to take pedestrians safely to the North sidewalk. 
  • Emergency vehicles will have access at all times and all city services will continue. 

For Information or Assistance: 

If you have any questions regarding construction, please contact Dan Riviello, Community Relations Manager, at 617.349.4825/ driviello@cambridgema.gov or Ed Mitiguy, Kleinfelder Resident Engineer, at 508-962-6331/ emitiguy@kleinfelder.com.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation, patience, and understanding as we complete the remaining work items associated with this project.



December 1, 2015

NOTICE OF RIVERSIDE PLACE RECONSTRUCTION

Dear Riverside Place Neighbor,

On Wednesday, December 02, 2015, D’Allessandro Corporation will be performing surface reconstruction work on Riverside Place. This work is in connection with the Western Ave Reconstruction Project and is intended to address surface drainage concerns. We will make every effort to expedite this work to minimize the length of time that there will be no vehicle access from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM on the street. This reconstruction work is expected to take up to two weeks due to weather conditions.

If you have any questions about the construction work or need assistance during this reconstruction work, including if you have any special needs or disability that requires a special accommodation, please contact Don Livramento at (617) 413-2104 or Ed Mitiguy at (508) 962-6331.

Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding during this construction. 



November 17, 2015

In association with the Western Avenue Reconstruction Project, the City’s Contractor, D’Allessandro Corp., will perform pavement marking in the Central Square area on Wednesday, November 18. Work hours for this operation will be 9 PM to 7 AM, weather permitting.

The striping will primarily occur on River Street from Franklin St. to Mass Ave, Western Ave from Green St. to Mass Ave, Green St. from Magazine St. to Pleasant St., and Mass Ave at the intersection with River St./Western Ave/Prospect St.

There are several crosswalks along Western Ave that will also be striped during this operation.

What to Expect During Pavement Marking Operations:

  • Work hours will be 9 PM to 7 AM.
  • “No Parking” signs will be posted; please be sure to check dates/times.
  • Police officers will be on site to assist with vehicle traffic and pedestrians.
  • Pedestrian access and access into properties will be maintained at all times, but may be restricted in certain ways. All sidewalks will remain open.
  • For local traffic, all businesses will remain open to patrons. Some parking in the immediate area may be restricted. Please look for “No Parking” signs, and ask police details or construction personnel if you are unsure.
  • Emergency vehicles will have access at all times and all city services will continue.

For Information or Assistance:

If you have any questions regarding this work, please contact Dan Riviello, Community Relations Manager, at 617.349.4825/ driviello@cambridgema.gov.  If you have any special need or disability, please contact us to arrange for special accommodations that may be necessary.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation, patience, and understanding as we complete this necessary work. November 9, 2015


In association with the Western Avenue Reconstruction Project, the City’s Contractor, D’Allessandro Corp., will perform roadway grinding and paving in the Central Square area from on Wednesday, November 11. Work hours for this operation will be 7 PM to 7 AM.

This work was rescheduled due to weather as it was originally to be performed on Tuesday, November 10.

The grinding and paving will occur in a section of Mass Ave at the intersection of Western Ave and Prospect St, on Western Ave and River St between Green St and Mass Ave, and on Green St between Magazine St and Pleasant St.

Mass Ave will be CLOSED during this operation and cars will be detoured around the area. Please check MBTA.com for service alerts.

What to Expect During Construction:

  • Work hours will be 7 PM to 7 AM.
  • During work hours, traffic will be directed around the work area. Please follow orange traffic signs and police detail instructions. Expect delays and seek alternate routes, if possible.
  • “No Parking” signs will be posted; please be sure to check dates/times.
  • Police officers will be on site to assist with vehicle traffic and pedestrians.
  • Pedestrian access and access into properties will be maintained at all times, but may be restricted in certain ways. All sidewalks will remain open.
  • MBTA bus routes will be detoured around the area.  Please check MBTA.com for service alerts.
  • For local traffic, all businesses will remain open to patrons. Some parking in the immediate area may be restricted. Please look for “No Parking” signs, and ask police details or construction personnel if you are unsure.
  • Emergency vehicles will have access at all times and all city services will continue.

For Information or Assistance:

If you have any questions regarding construction, please contact Dan Riviello, Community Relations Manager, at 617.349.4825/ driviello@cambridgema.gov or Diane Stokes, DPW Project Engineer, at 617.349.9405/ dstokes@cambridgema.gov.  If you have any special need or disability, please contact us to arrange for special accommodations that may be necessary.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation, patience, and understanding as we complete this necessary repair to the roadway.


UPDATE - Due to rain, paving has been cancelled for Tuesday, November 10.  This work will be rescheduled in the coming days, weather permitting.

In association with the Western Avenue Reconstruction Project, the City’s Contractor, D’Allessandro Corp., will perform roadway grinding and paving in the Central Square area from Sunday, November 8 through Tuesday, November 10, weather permitting. Work hours for this operation will be 7 PM to 7 AM.

The grinding and paving will occur in a section of Mass Ave at the intersection of Western Ave and Prospect St, on Western Ave and River St between Green St and Mass Ave, and on Green St between Magazine St and Pleasant St.

One lane of Mass Ave will remain open in each direction during paving, however MBTA bus routes will be detoured around the area.  Please check MBTA.com for service alerts.

What to Expect During Construction:

  • Work hours will be 7 PM to 7 AM.
  • During work hours, through traffic will be directed around the work area. Please follow orange traffic signs and police detail instructions. Expect delays and seek alternate routes, if possible.
  • “No Parking” signs will be posted; please be sure to check dates/times.
  • Police officers will be on site to assist with vehicle traffic and pedestrians.
  • Pedestrian access and access into properties will be maintained at all times, but may be restricted in certain ways. All sidewalks will remain open.
  • MBTA bus routes will be detoured around the area.  Please check MBTA.com for service alerts.
  • For local traffic, all businesses will remain open to patrons. Some parking in the immediate area may be restricted. Please look for “No Parking” signs, and ask police details or construction personnel if you are unsure.
  • Emergency vehicles will have access at all times and all city services will continue.

For Information or Assistance:

If you have any questions regarding construction, please contact Dan Riviello, Community Relations Manager, at 617.349.4825/ driviello@cambridgema.gov or Diane Stokes, DPW Project Engineer, at 617.349.9405/ dstokes@cambridgema.gov.  If you have any special need or disability, please contact us to arrange for special accommodations that may be necessary.


August 2015

In association with the Western Avenue Reconstruction Project, the city’s contractor, D’Allessandro Corp., is expected to install final crosswalk and travel lane markings along Western Avenue between Green Street and Memorial Drive August 19 thru August 21. Due to the high volume of cars that utilize Western Avenue during the daytime hours, this work will begin at 9pm on Wednesday, August 19, and will conclude at 5am. Please note that line striping activity will continue Thursday evening and Friday evening between 9pm-5am.































































































































What to expect during construction































































































































• “No Parking” signs have already been posted. Please be sure to check posted signs for exact date and times.































































































































• Noise generated from this work will be produced by the sprayer from the painting equipment and is relatively quiet.

Construction on this project will take approximately two years to complete. Click here for overall phasing plan.

General work hours will be 7AM to 4 PM, Monday-Friday. “No Parking” signs will be posted at least 24 hours in advance of construction; please be sure to check posted signs for exact dates and times. When work occurs directly in front of driveways or entryways, the contractor will coordinate access directly with residents and businesses.

 The design process for the surface redesign of Western Avenue ran from January 2010 through 2011 and included eight Advisory Committee meetings, five neighborhood walks, and six public meetings. Five concept alternatives were developed to identify the full range of potential options for Western Avenue and extensive community feedback was taken into consideration. Click here to view details.

City staff will host additional discussions regarding the final design of the public art component. Please make sure to sign up for our email updates to receive notices for meetings.

Evaluation criteria was developed by city staff and the advisory committee to guide the design process:

• Traffic calming effect / vehicle speed reduction
• Pedestrian crossing safety
• Expanded sidewalk space
• Bicycle facility safety and comfort
• Bus operations and efficiency
• Rush hour vehicle capacity
• Parking availability
• Snow clearance and street cleaning
• Emergency vehicle access
• Construction cost
• Community support

Final Design Elements:
• Pleasant St to Blackstone St will have two vehicles travel lanes, parking on both sides, and a separated bicycle lane (raised cycle track).
• Pedestrian safety will be improved with raised crosswalks on (unsignalized) side streets, curb extensions, and new crosswalks.
• New trees, planting beds, trash / recycling containers, and energy efficient streetlights will be installed.
• Pedestrian crossings will be improved at Pleasant / Western / Franklin and at Blackstone.
• Cronin Park will be enlarged, landscaped, and include a rain garden.

Detailed information about the Western Ave design and planning process is posted here.

Cambridge Department of Public Works 147 Hampshire Street

General construction hours are 7 AM to 4 PM

 Please contact Dan Riviello, Community Relations Manager, at driviello@cambridgema.gov or at 617.349.4825 to:

  1. Sign up to receive e-mail updates as the project moves forward. 
  2. Arrange an accommodation or continuation of special services for anyone with a disability or special need.
  3. Learn how you can help street trees along the street , either by “adopting” a recently planted tree on your block (especially watering during dry weather), or by signing up for the “back-of-sidewalk” tree planting program, through which a tree can be planted on private property within 20 feet of the public sidewalk at no cost to the owner.

E-mail is not staffed 24/7.  In case of an emergency after hours or on weekends, please call the 24-Hour line at 617-349-4800.

We thank you for your patience during this construction, and hope that you enjoy these improvements once they are completed.

Page was last modified on 7/25/2023 3:43 AM
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