Published in the September 8, 2020 edition.
WAKEFIELD — According to National Grid, as of Friday, September 4, crews have completed 50 percent of the duct bank installation in Wakefield for the Woburn-to-Wakefield underground transmission line project.
“This milestone achievement is a result of a culmination of hard work by our construction team, coordination with the town of Wakefield and the understanding of the community at-large,” National Grid said in a statement released yesterday. “We want to thank you for your patience as we continue to make progress toward the completion of our project. We will continue to work hard to complete this important infrastructure project in a safe and timely manner.”
As work resumes this week, crews will be working at three work sites on Water Street, Broadway and Montrose Avenue.
On Water Street crews will continue to work their way across the street following the unused MBTA Right-of-Way, excavating and installing the duct bank near the intersection of Water Street and Vernon Street. The traffic management plan at this work site will require an alternating two-way traffic pattern facilitated by police details during work hours.
The project will continue excavating and installing duct bank at two work sites on Montrose Avenue. Crews are working to complete the remaining portion of the duct bank between Whittier Road and the driveway of National Grid’s Wakefield Junction Substation. Workers are making progress at the other work site located between Whittier Road and Salem Street. Montrose Avenue will be closed to through-traffic during work hours. Residential and emergency vehicle traffic will have access to the street with the help of police details on site.
Construction on Broadway, between Foundry Street and North Avenue, is being done in conjunction with WMGLD to upgrade the town’s infrastructure. While this work is ongoing, through-traffic on Broadway will be restricted at all times. Posted traffic signage and police details located around the work site will facilitate traffic. All businesses within the closure area will remain open during construction.
As part of an ongoing effort to complete work as safely and as efficiently as possible, construction crews plan to extend their work at certain work sites through close of business on Saturday, Sept. 12 (pending the availability of police details).
The Town of Wakefield would like to make you 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 www.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.
You can sign up to receive news updates via email at www.wakefield.ma.us/subscribe.
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. Police details will be present at our work sites to facilitate vehicle and pedestrian traffic management. Caution is advised 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. They have 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.
Anyone 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 1-844-646-8427.
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.
