Welcome back to the City of Somerville's construction newsletter!



In addition to the sounds of Porchfest, blooming pollinator gardens, and visits from migratory warblers, May means construction is in full swing. So we'll stop waxing poetic about the season and get down to the business of keeping you infromed on the work underway to improve our city's built environment.

What We're Sharing This Month: 

• Spring Hill Sewer Separation - Central Street Update
• New Sidewalks and Progress on Western Washington Street
• Somerville Junction Park - Community Path Detour
• Traffic Calming Installations
• Morrison Avenue Open House
• West Somerville Sewer Rehab (Coming Soon)
• Subterranean Somerville: 19th Century Water Main Valves

In case you missed our spring construction update community meeting, we’d like to share that beginning on Monday, June 17 or soon after, the segment of Central Street between Summer Street and Highland Avenue will become a permanently one-way northbound street for vehicle traffic. 

Beginning on Monday, June 3 or soon after, people walking, wheeling, or cycling on the Community Path between Lowell Street and Central Street will be detoured around the new Somerville Junction Park site. 

This temporary detour (approximately 1 week, weather permitting) will enable City Contractors to pave the newly built path and loam/seed green space along the northern half of the park.

For details, including a full detour map, please visit somervillema.gov/junctionpark.  

The ongoing redesign, led by the City’s Division of Public Space and Urban Forestry, will increase the park’s total area from 0.6 acres to 1.43 acres by eliminating 0.83 acres of asphalt, while also adding gathering spaces, seating, hammock posts, bike racks and a repair station, among other amenities.

The updated park will also feature new trees and native plantings to help cool the air and increase biodiversity. While the community path will be reopened after the new path is paved, the park will remain under construction and is expected to open in spring of 2025. 

Vision Zero is the City of Somerville's strategy to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries. Designing our streets for safety is critical to eliminate traffic violence. One of the ways we can do that is by installing traffic calming features that slow speeds.

What's happening? Where and When?

Starting June 3 or soon after, City Contractors will begin a set of installations including a new raised crossing at Walnut/Gilman Street and speed humps around the City.

• Raised crossing at intersection of Walnut and Gilman Streets
• Requiring a temporary detour of traffic on Walnut Street.
• Speed Humps at:
• Glen Street
• Florence Street
• Edgar Avenue
• School Street
• Vinal Avenue

Interested in learning more about traffic calming? Visit our traffic calming page for information on different traffic calming tools, a map of existing and future traffic calming locations, as well as an overview of how we prioritize these interventions.

City contractors have been hard at work over recent weeks installing new sidewalks along Washington Street. Work began at Beacon Street on the even-numbered side of the street and is proceeding east toward Webster Avenue (continuing on the even-numbered side for the time being).

The open space between the roadway and sidewalk will become a sidewalk-level separated bike lane later in the season.

Open House on Monday, June 10, 6 to 8 p.m.

Community Baptist Church at 31 College Avenue

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, Ward 6 Councilor Lance Davis, Ward 5 Councilor Naima Sait, and the City of Somerville’s Engineering Division are inviting the community to an open house on flood relief and water quality improvement efforts planned for Morrison Avenue (Cedar Street to Grove Street) and the surrounding neighborhood.

There will not be a formal presentation. Instead, project staff will be available to review initial concept design plans for stormwater management infrastructure and streetscape improvements, answer questions, and collect feedback. Community members are encouraging to drop-in at any time during the event.

Through our annual sewer cleaning and inspection program, we identify portions of our sewer infrastructure that are in need of repair. (ICYMI see our recent video highlighting how this process works.) 

This summer and fall crews will be returning to West Somerville to make repairs and rehabilitate sewer pipelines and manholes previously identified as in need of maintenance.

What is happening?

Crews will use a combination of methods which fall into two broad categories to make repairs:

Trenchless Rehabilitation

Flexible liners and coatings are used to improve existing infrastructure without needing to break ground.

Open Trench Excavation

Crews will dig to expose existing infrastructure, remove the defective portions, and install new structures.

Locations of Work

Construction is expected to begin June 2024 and continue through fall 2024.

Additional progress and schedule information available on project website.

There is a lot of work being done in Somerville as we look to modernize and improve our city’s infrastructure, and we can’t cover it all in one email.

Stay up-to-date with what’s going on in your neighborhood and around the city via the following channels: 

• Sign up for City Alerts - Receive important notifications about work in your area.

• Follow us on Twitter - Tweets about curb-cuts, culverts, and more.

• Visit our new construction page - A comprehensive look at work across the city.

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