This project was the third in a series of contracts designed to eliminate common manholes in the City of Cambridge. Construction was primarily focused in the Magazine Street area of the Cambridgeport neighborhood, and also included some work on Riverside Road, River Street, and Concord Avenue.

The purpose of this project was to reduce incidents of sewage backups into certain properties, and to improve the quality of water in the Charles River. It was part of a system-wide effort to improve the City’s drainage utility system.

The work done under this contract consisted of the removal of common manholes, to eliminate cross connections between the sanitary sewer and storm drain. The removal process involved creating new bypass drain or sewer pipe around existing common manholes, constructing new manholes, converting existing common manholes to drain or sanitary manholes, and ancillary work. This project also included some drainage work to help alleviate ponding that occurs along the gutter line in the street and at certain pedestrian ramps, as well as lining of the sewer pipe along Magazine Street.

To learn more about this project, please contact James Wilcox, Supervisor of Sewer Maintenance and Engineering, (617) 349-6426/ jwilcox@cambridgema.gov.