Video of the Department of Public Works’ May 30 community meeting about upcoming water and sewer work in Saxonville is now available online at http://vod-framingham.cablecast.tv/CablecastPublicSite/show/3182?channel=1
The meeting was specifically about utility work planned to start later this month in and around McGrath Square. That work is being undertaken in advance of revamping the Concord/Central/Elm/Danforth intersection.
The actual McGrath Square intersection rehabilitation is still “a little ways out”, DPW’s Matthew Hayes told the meeting. An 85% design plan is expected from consultants Green International sometime this month.
Pre-intersection-project sewer work has already been funded; water main work is awaiting City Council approval but that funding is expected, Steve Leone, the DPW’s director of water and wastewater, told the meeting. The city would like to get this work done before any reconstruction of the intersection.
I wasn’t able to attend the meeting live, but here some highlights from the video presentation:
Most of the sewer work will involve re-lining existing pipes instead of excavating for new pipes, which should be less disruptive. Some water main replacement work is planned, though.
Work may start as early as June 17. Everything is expected to wrap up by mid August but definitely before the end of August (i.e. before school starts).
Construction will be scheduled to take place Mondays to Fridays 7 am to 5 pm, although work is likely to wrap up most days by 3. No detours are planned except at the end of Chestnut Street. The city expects to be able to keep one lane of traffic open in each direction through much of the work, although turning lanes will likely be unavailable. It’s possible there will be a small period of time where there will only be one lane total alternating in each direction.
There may be some night work affecting residents if it’s determined that water service needs to be shut off for some of the water main work, since businesses in the area could be seriously impacted by losing water during business hours.
Residents were advised to check the www.BuildingFramingham.com website for updates (I didn’t see anything posted about this project yet there, but we can expect there will be information shortly) as well as city social media. Attendees were also told they can ask to be added to an email list with project updates by contacting DPWProjects@FraminghamMA.gov.
I was very happy to hear that marked bike lanes will be part of the latest McGrath Square intersection redesign! Finally there will be some ways for Saxonville and Nobscot residents north of the Cochituate Rail Trail to get to the trail - and businesses in Saxonville - more safely. While early plans had called for on-street parking along one side of Concord Street, that’s no longer in the design.
Traffic lights in the square will be replaced and realigned, so finally the stop line heading north on Concord Street will be before Danforth Street. That should reduce one of the biggest dangers driving through the intersection, when cars turning left onto Danforth can’t see cars driving north on Concord up to Elm and vice versa. There should be “much better visibility,” Hayes said.
In addition, green space at Danforth street near the city-owned parking lot will be expanded to create “a true pocket park,” he said.
Design of a pedestrian crosswalk across Concord Street at Danforth is still being investigated. I hope an effective pedestrian crossing area is created, since now a lot of people dash across multiple lanes of traffic without a light or crosswalk in order to get to and from businesses at Saxonville Mills.
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