Snarl-Up: Paving on Both Concord and Trapelo Will Tie Down Belmont

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Photo: Paving on Concord Avenue.

Commuters and residents: you can run, and you can’t hide.

In a rush to beat the weather and cold, two major road projects will be underway simultaneously, leading to likely gridlock around Belmont as drivers attempt to bypass the two sites. 

On the Trapelo/Belmont Corridor project, the final paving of Trapelo Road from Mill Street to Cushing Square, which commenced last week has been moving at a snail’s pace, due to falling temperatures.

To combat the chilly conditions, work along the main thoroughfare will be performed during the day beginning today, Monday, Oct. 26, resulting in possible traffic congestion and snarl-ups as the final layers of asphalt is laid.

The Trapelo Road work will now occur concurrently with scheduled paving on Concord Avenue (eastbound) which also begins today, Monday, Oct. 26 at 6 a.m. 

The work will take place from the US Postal Service Office to Cottage Street, which itself will be under-construction from Concord Avenue to School Street. 

While Concord Avenue will be open, commuters and residents are being warned that traffic will be limited to one side of the roadway.

In addition, on-street parking will be banned from Goden to Common streets and along Cottage Street.

Officials are hopeful the work can be completed within the next few days. 

Three Nights of Work on Trapelo Road Starts Tuesday, Sept. 16

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For the next three nights/early mornings, a half-mile stretch of Trapelo Road from Church Street to Flett Road will be under construction.

Beginning tonight, Tuesday, Sept. 16 and lasting until Thursday, Sept. 18, paving and repairs to the roadway will run from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.

As with an earlier overnight repaving job in July that effected Trapelo from Lexington and Church streets, the work by contractor Newport Construction is being conducted “under the lights” so to limited the impact on the 30,000 daily commuters that use the road, Glenn Clancy, director of the town’s Office of Community Development told the Belmont Board of Selectmen last week. 

And while the town did provide neighbors and residents living along the road a week notice of the work, Belmont Selectman Sami Baghdady advised Clancy that those effected by future overnight work be given a two weeks “heads up” before construction begins.

The work is part of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s $17.2 million Trapelo/Belmont Corridor reconstruction project.

Residents with any concerns on the night work can call Clancy at 617-993-2659 or by e-mail at gclancy@belmont-ma.gov. or Ryan Gleason of Newport Construction at 603-765-2173 during the late night work hours.

Three Nights of Construction on Trapelo Road Begins Monday, July 28

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For the next three nights, from Monday July 28 to Wednesday, July 30, Waverley Square will be “under the lights” as Trapelo Road is repaved as part of the $17.2 million Trapelo/Belmont Corridor reconstruction project.

From 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., trucks and repaving equipment will be on Trapelo Road from Mill Street to White Street as well as on Lexington and Church streets.

The construction work was approved by the Belmont Board of Selectmen a week ago to lessen the impact on approximately 30,000 daily commuters and businesses in the area, according to Glenn Clancy, director of Community Development and the town’s engineer.

“We appreciate your patience and cooperation during this operation. As you are aware this work is very much necessary and every effort will be made to minimize impacts to residents while work is occurring,” said Clancy in a press release. He stated that residents with any concerns can call he at 617-993-2659 or by e-mail at gclancy@belmont-ma.gov.

Clancy said that homeowners and residents who have questions or concerns during construction hours can contact Ryan Gleason of Newport Construction at 603-765-2173.

Night Moves: Trapelo Road Paving Begins Monday 7 PM

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Work on the Trapelo/Belmont Corridor Project goes under the lights next week as the repaving of Trapelo Road from Mill Street to the Belmont Car Wash and the “triangle” encompassing Lexington and Church streets in Waverley Square begins Monday evening, July 28 at 7 p.m.

While the Massachusetts Department of Transportation – the $17 million roadway construction is a state project – and the project contractor were set begin work this week, the Belmont Board of Selectmen Monday, July 21, pushed back the starting date five days to allow residents along the route time to prepare for three days of 12 hours of construction outside their front doors.

According to Tony Barrile, vice president of operations for project contractor Newport Construction of Nashua, NH, the combination of high temperatures, heavy commuter traffic and the narrowness of the roadway would lead to chaotic conditions performing the job during the work day.

Answering questions concerning the MDOT’s request to proceed with night work, Barrile said the new asphalt must cool after being laid forcing traffic on a single lane at certain choke points near the Shaw’s Supermarket on Trapelo Road, impacting rush hour traffic in the morning and afternoon, resulting in lengthy backups and delays.

Switching to a night schedule, “we wouldn’t have to deal with the sheer volume of traffic” that transverse Waverley Square with the added benefit that most of the square’s businesses closed for the day, he said.

Saying that he doesn’t like to work after normal hours, “[i]t’s just so congested there that it makes sense to do it at night,” said Barrile.

While the selectmen were supportive of the time change for the repaving, they were not happy with the DOT’s initial proposal to begin the work on Wednesday, July 23, just two days after their meeting.

 

“There are quite a few residences in that area that will be only given a day notice before construction starts and I have a concern with that,” said Selectman Mark Paolillo.

While conceding construction noise will impact residencies, Glenn Clancy, Belmont’s director of the Office of Community Development, said “the tradeoff goes back to 30,000 vehicles trying to get through there during a work day coupled with the fact that businesses trying to operate during the day; the night work seems to be the best alternative to get the job done quickly.”

But Paolillo said the idea of beginning a major construction work through the night and the early morning, “right outside your house” will not give residents the opportunity to make other arrangements.

Selectmen Chair Andy Rojas offered up a Monday start “that gives us time to adequately to notify residents of the nature of the work.” Along with a series of mitigation suggestions – such as positioning construction lighting so it is directed onto the street and a contact number for residents to call the contractor during construction – the selectmen voted to approve the night time work request.

The five day delay will not have much of an impact on the project’s schedule, said Barrile.

“We’ll continue to work on other items such as sidewalks and paving,” he said. “We just want to have that piece of roadway nice and smooth for a change.”