Published August 12, 2020
WAKEFIELD — This week National Grid crews are continuing to work at three currently active work sites: Montrose Avenue, Salem Street, and Broadway. The work is related to the Woburn-to-Wakefield underground transmission line project.
Duct bank installation is ongoing on Montrose Avenue and Salem Street. The work site on Montrose Avenue is located between Whittier Road and Stoney Hill Lane. The National Grid crew on Salem Street is currently working between Tobey Lane and Houston Street.
During work hours, the traffic management plans for these sites require road closures with no access for through-traffic. Residential and emergency vehicle traffic will have access to the street as facilitated by police details present on site.
The third worksite is located on Broadway between Foundry Street and North Avenue. Preparations are underway for the upcoming construction at the MBTA Crossing (near 55 Broadway). While this work is ongoing, through-traffic on Broadway will be restricted at all times. Businesses within the closure area remain open during construction. Residents and customers are asked follow the direction of posted traffic signage and police details located around the work site.
As part of National Grid’s ongoing effort to complete work as safely and as efficiently as possible, construction crews may extend their work at certain work sites through close of business on Saturdays (pending the availability of police details).
The town of Wakefield would like to make residents aware that upcoming private development work in the Lake and Foundry Street areas will also result in impacts to traffic patterns. The town has created a webpage at wakefield.ma.us/grid to provide information for all construction activities in the Broadway/Foundry Street/Albion Street area, including National Grid’s Woburn-to-Wakefield Line Project.
As duct bank construction continues, the Wakefield Police Department has the option to modify the traffic management plans based on their judgement and expertise, including street closures and traffic detours to ensure the safety of the general public. As always, police details will be present at National Grid work sites to facilitate vehicle and pedestrian traffic management. Please continue to exercise caution when approaching these active work areas to minimize risks to personal safety, and to avoid any interference with construction.
Due to COVID-19, National Grid has taken a number of steps to modify its business practices and daily operations to protect the communities in which they work. The company has enacted additional policies and guidelines for field and office personnel that are in line with the Commonwealth’s Guidelines and Procedures for construction as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines.
Residents with questions about any current or upcoming work may contact a member of the project outreach team by emailing info@ma-nhsolution.com, or by calling the project hotline at 1-844-646-8427. You can sign up to receive news updates via email at www.wakefield.ma.us/subscribe.
Under the direction of National Grid, the Woburn-to-Wakefield Line Project is a new underground electric transmission line to be built in Wakefield, Stoneham, Winchester, and Woburn. The line addresses potential overloads on existing transmission lines first identified in ISO-NE’s 2008 Needs Assessment, reevaluated in 2013/2014, and confirmed in ISO-NE’s 2015 Needs Assessment.
