Kendall Square Construction Projects

Kendall Square Construction Update

The following is an outline of the active construction projects in Kendall Square, including private development projects and City of Cambridge infrastructure projects. To stay up-to-date on the projects listed below, please sign up for the newsletter. For questions, please contact Kristen Kelleher at kkelleher@cambridgema.gov.

This webpage is updated regularly. The last update was on February 1, 2023.

Project List 
Click any of the below projects to learn more and view upcoming impacts:

600 Main Street

The Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital operated in collaboration with MIT and Harvard will construct a new headquarters at 600 Main Street. The project requires the demolition of the existing building to make way for the construction of a new six-story building. The contractor for 600 Main Street is Consigli Construction Company. 

Upcoming Impacts 

• New building foundation construction is complete. Steel erection is approaching completion. 
• Albany Street will remain closed to through traffic from the garage entrance to Portland Street through October 2023. The sidewalk adjacent to the building will remain closed and pedestrian detours have been implemented.
• Parking has been eliminated to facilitate the current traffic lane shift that will remain on Portland Street from Main Street to Albany Street through October 2023. The sidewalk adjacent to the building will remain closed and pedestrian detours have been implemented. 
• Jersey barriers being set up for a protected bike lane on Main Street. These will remain in place through September 2023.
• Water main work to commence on Albany Street in April 2023.

Binney Park

The Binney Park parcel is located at the intersection of Binney Street and Galileo Galilei Way and extends to the intersection of Galileo Galilei Way and Broadway. The City is designing the project to incorporate a section of the Grand Junction Multi-Use Path, new landscaping and other park facilities. This new park project is still in the design phase. A contract was awarded to Argus Construction, and construction will begin in October 2022.

Upcoming Impacts

• Soil remediation work ongoing through March 2023

325 Binney Street
Alexandria Real Estate Equities is in the process of developing commercial lab space at 325 Binney St. The project will occupy sidewalks and parking lanes to accommodate building construction logistics on Binney and Fulkerson Streets. The proposed work effort also includes utility construction and exterior surface work. The contractor for this project is John Moriarty and Associates.

Upcoming Impacts 

• Work on the building facade is ongoing. The sidewalk adjacent to the building on Binney Street has been closed to facilitate this work and a pedestrian detour has been implemented. 
• Communications and water utility work to take place between January and April 2023 on Binney Street and Fulkerson Street.  
  

Volpe Federal Building

Following the conclusion of a two-phase solicitation process, GSA entered into an Exchange Agreement with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The Exchange Agreement requires MIT to design and construct a state-of-the-art-facility for DOT (the New Facility) on a portion of the property to be retained by the federal government. In exchange, the portion of the property no longer needed by the federal government will be conveyed to MIT after construction of the new facility is complete. MITIMCO is the construction manager.

40 Thorndike Street

Leggat McCall Properties is converting the former Edward J. Sullivan Courthouse and jail in East Cambridge into a mixed-use office, residential, and retail development. The interior and exterior renovation will deliver a vibrant development that is integrated into the residential and commercial neighborhood. The contractor is Moriarty.

Upcoming Impacts 

• The adjacent parking lane and a portion of the travel lane on Thorndike Street have been closed to facilitate work on the building façade and a pedestrian detour has been implemented. This restriction is anticipated to remain in place for a couple of years until the completion of the project.
• Spring Street is closed to vehicles and cyclists on a daily basis between Second and Third Streets to facilitate the work. A detour is being implemented and one sidewalk remains open to pedestrians.
• Work on the water main and electrical service work is currently taking place on Third street; lane closures will be in effect through the end of January 2023.

MBTA Lechmere Station

This work is part of the development at Cambridge Crossing and will provide a connection between First Street and the new development. Work includes pedestrian and bicycle connections to the new Lechmere T Station on the north side of O’Brien Highway, demolition of the old Lechmere T Station, and construction of North First Street.

Old Lechmere Station

• DIVCO (Parcel V) completed demolition of the old station.
• Construction of North First Street has begun and will continue through Summer of 2023.
  

CambridgeSide

This project involves repurposing the existing site to develop a mixed-use location including retail, work and living spaces. This work includes occupying the sidewalk on First Street and a small portion Lechmere Canal Park. New England Development is the developer for this project.

• Renovation of the former Sears building is ongoing.
• The project work has begun, including the implementation of long-term temporary lane closures, bike lane closures, and sidewalk closures on First Street at Thorndike Street.
• Work at the former Macy’s building at the corner of Land Boulevard and CambridgeSide Place is ongoing. Traffic islands have been reconfigured and the right lane on Land Boulevard adjacent to the mall has been closed to facilitate the work. This lane closure is anticipated to remain in place through February 2023.
• Utility work is complete. Lane and sidewalk closures will remain in effect on First Street.
• The City's Conservation Commission approved filing for improvements to Lechmere Canal Park during the public hearing meeting on January 23, 2023. Construction will start in the Spring of 2023.

161 First Street

161 First Street is an existing, four-story, brick building constructed circa 1907 for factory and warehouse uses. The historic structure is currently undergoing a complete renovation to restore architectural features to their former glory; address deferred maintenance, code compliance, and energy efficiency issues; and create forward-thinking spaces appealing to modern behavior. The project will include new windows and masonry repointing respectful of the building’s historic character preservation and energy efficiency goals; code compliance improvements to entries, stairwells, elevators, and building systems; building common spaces including a patio at the building’s western edge; and a roof deck designed to support a collaborative, modern work environment.  The Project will also include approximately 8,000 square feet of Innovation Office Space.

Upcoming Impacts 

• The contractor's work on the site is ongoing.
• Rogers Street is closed to through traffic between First and Second Streets.
• A partial lane closure has been implemented on First Street between Rogers and Binney Streets.

One Rogers Street

Two existing buildings located at One Rogers Street and One Charles Park will be upgraded to provide approximately 400,000 square feet of new laboratory space. The overall construction duration is expected to be about two years. The contractor is Commodore Builders.

Upcoming Impacts

• Rogers Street has been reduced to one-way vehicular traffic and a detour has been implemented.
• The northerly sidewalk on Rogers Street is closed and a pedestrian detour has been implemented.
• Lane closures are in effect on Rogers Street.

Triangle Park

A new City park will be built at 200 First Street on the parcel bound by First Street, Binney Street, and Land Boulevard. The design of the park will be informed by the Eastern Cambridge/Kendall Open Space Study and Connect Kendall Square Open Space Competition, which resulted in a framework plan that will guide the development of three new parks in eastern Cambridge. A raised intersection will be included at First Street and Linskey Way. 

Upcoming Impacts 

• Minor construction activities to take place through April 2023.

SoMa Site 2

Located at 200 Main Street, Site 2, a mixed use building, will incorporate the existing structure at 200 Main Street (known as the Kendall Building) with a 12-story addition providing new commercial laboratory and office spaces. This work includes demolition of the Site 2 building on Wadsworth Street and reconstruction of Wadsworth Street. The contractor for Site 2 is John Moriarty & Associates and for Sites 3 through 5 is Turner Construction.  

Upcoming Impacts 

• Foundation work for the new building to commence early-December 2022 and is ongoing.
• The east sidewalk on Wadsworth Street between Main and Amherst Streets will remain closed to facilitate work on the site. The west sidewalk is open for pedestrian use.

Headhouses of MBTA Kendall/MIT Stations

Both sides of the MBTA Kendall/MIT Headhouses are being reconstructed as part of development projects. The South Side is being reconstruction as part of the SoMa project and the North Side is being reconstructed as part of the project at 325 Main Street.

Upcoming Impacts 

• The contractor’s work on the site is ongoing within the construction fencing at the Inbound Station Headhouse.
• Construction at the Outbound Station Headhouse is anticipated to start in 2022. Work began as of July 2022.
• Transit customers should expect some weekend closures at these stations as part of the work.   
• The canopy over the inbound headhouse was installed late-September 2022. There will be gas main work starting in April 2023.

Binney Street Gas Main Replacement

Eversource is installing a new 12-inch-diameter gas main in Binney Street. The new gas main will extend from Sixth Street to the Grand Junction Railroad and is being installed in advance of planned future surface restoration work on that section of Binney Street.

Upcoming Impacts

• Replacement of the gas main is ongoing on Binney Street through the end of February 2023.
• Installation of gas regulator vault on Binney Street ongoing through May of 2023.

Greater Cambridge Energy Project

Eversource proposes to construct a new underground substation in Kendall Square, along with eight new underground transmission lines interconnecting to existing substations in the surrounding area.   The project is expected to bolster system reliability, meet growing energy needs, and further facilitate access to clean energy resources.  A test pitting program to support project design and permitting is underway.  There will be multiple crews performing test pits on the eastern side of the City and short-term temporary traffic control plans will be implemented as needed to facilitate the work. Eversource will notify affected abutters in advance of local test pit work.

• Minimal impacts are expected with this activity.

330 Third Street at Kendall Street

The new building at the northeast corner of the intersection of Third and Kendall Streets will be a 500,000-square-foot, 16-story, mixed-use structure housing laboratory and office space, a performance center, and a ground-level indoor/outdoor public space.

Upcoming Impacts

• Utility enabling work is underway to remove the existing natural gas regulator/transfer station from the subject property. Lane closures on Third Street between Binney Street and Broadway Street are in effect.
• Construction of the new building began in Spring 2022.
• Foundation work on site to begin late September 2022.

The Boston Properties MXD Project

The upgrades to the current site, Blue Garage at 290 Binney Street, will consist of an Eversource underground substation, a reconstructed Blue Garage below grade, a 420,000-square-foot housing building, two new 400,000 SF commercial buildings, and a new open space with circulation connections located between Binney Street, Galileo Galilei Way, and Broadway. 

Upcoming Impacts

• The following two work zones were implemented in late-October and will remain in place through summer 2023:
  • Work zone on Binney Street: Will reduce vehicular traffic to one lane in each direction at Sixth Street. A pedestrian detour will be set up at that location. 
  • Work zone on Broadway: Will be one way traffic east bound towards Boston between Galileo Galilei Way and Ames Street.
• During summer 2022, a work zone was set up on Binney Street between Fulkerson and Sixth Street resulting in lane shifts for vehicle and bicycle traffic. There is a new drop off area set up for the daycare located on Binney Street.
• Utility work started on Binney Street and Broadway Street. Work will be ongoing through spring 2023.
• Garage demolition is ongoing through March 2023.