FRAMINGHAM – Expect traffic to be affected once planned Central Street water and sewer improvements begin this spring.
The plan is to close one lane and have alternating traffic each way when needed. However, it’s possible there will be some road closures and detours. “We will do our best to keep that to an absolute minimum,” City Project Manager Bill Sedewitz told residents at a community meeting last night. Work will take place between 7 am to 5 pm Mondays through Fridays.
Construction work is likely to start in May (original expectation was April) and will cover Central Street from Edgell Road to Purchase Street in Saxonville. There will also be work on Kellogg Street. Construction is scheduled to begin in the area around Prospect Street, Michaud Drive, and Indian Head Road, which he said was the most complicated section.
The contract calls for work to be finished by November of 2027.
The project aims to upgrade 2.7 miles of aging water pipes, some dating back to 1906, as well as about one-third of a mile of sewer pipes. Some of the sewer work will be done on the pipes in place.
If you’ve noticed construction work this week on Central Street at the bridge near Edgell Road, that’s Eversource Gas, not this project. That work is supposed to wrap up in the next week or two, but Eversource will also be working on Crestwood Drive and Indian Head Road.
Several residents pointed out that a lot of school bus and parent pick-up traffic exits the high school from Lowther Road onto Central Street. Traffic back-ups there could cause cascading problems both on roadways and if buses are late to other schools that finish later than the high school, they said.
DPW has coordinated with the School Department on handling bus traffic from the high school, Sedewitz said.
He also plans to meet with officials at the Learning Center for the Deaf, which is on Central Street.
Those abutting the project may have temporary difficulties getting in and out of their homes or businesses if trenches are dug. Residents will be notified of any such planned disruptions via door-hangers. There may also be some brief scheduled disruptions in water service, as well as one-time requests for property access for some abutters to clean out debris in their service connection lines.
Project plans were expected to be posted on the city website today, although I didn’t see them yet when checking a short time ago. And the Government Channel should have a replay of last night’s meeting posted in the coming days. In addition, general news and updates about the project will be posted on the city’s social media channels and via DPW city-wide and email updates, Public Information Officer Susan Scully Petroni said. (Sign up for the various text and email alerts are available at https://www.framinghamma.gov/list.aspx ).
In response to a question, officials said it hasn’t been determined where the staging areas will be for pipes and equipment. (Contractors are typically responsible for finding their own staging areas, although DPW sometimes helps with limited public space.)
Residents who have difficulties accessing their driveways or other issues were advised that they can call the DPW office, which is staffed from 7 am to 11 pm seven days a week. If there’s an urgent overnight issue, they can contact the Police Department non-emergency number.
There will be a separate, follow-on project for Central Street road and sidewalk work after the water and sewer work is finished. The city expects to hold another neighborhood meeting once that project reaches the 30% design phase. When asked about sidewalk plans, Director of Traffic and Transportation Matt Hayes said, “We don’t think we’ll be able to install a full sidewalk on the north side of Central Street. The south side of Central Street will be a continuous sidewalk as it is now, but improved.”
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