WAKEFIELD — National Grid reports that excavation and duct bank installation on Salem Street is nearly complete. Residents can expect to see continued activity on Salem Street between the New Salem Street and Salem Street split and Patriot Circle this week as contractors complete the remaining work.
Eastbound traffic on Salem Street is detoured at Grand Passway to Appleton Road and out to New Salem Street. Westbound traffic is detoured at New Salem Street to Appleton Road/Grand Passway to Salem Street.
This week contractors will return to Albion Street to resume duct bank installation between the Stoneham line and Broadway. This will necessitate one-way alternating traffic and a detour at West Park Drive facilitated by a police detail.
Crews will also continue duct bank installation on Montrose Avenue between Whittier Road and Wakefield Junction Substation Driveway. Detours will be in place at Salem Street-Montrose Avenue and the Water Street-Montrose Avenue intersections.
For all of the aforementioned work sites, allowable work hours remain 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Drivers and those on foot are advised to exercise caution when approaching these active work areas to minimize risks to personal safety, and to avoid any interference with construction.
As construction continues, the Wakefield Police Department has the option to modify the traffic management plans based on their judgment and expertise, including street closures and traffic detours to ensure the safety of the general public. As always, police details will be present at all 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.
In response to COVID, National Grid 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. For more information about National Grid’s response to COVID-19, visit: ngrid.com/covid-19.
Under the direction of National Grid, the Woburn-to-Wakefield Line Project is a new underground electric transmission line being 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.
Once all project construction is complete, the project route will be repaved, curb-to-curb, at National Grid’s expense. This includes sections of Albion Street, Broadway Street, North Avenue, Main Street, Salem Street, and Montrose Avenue as well as street crossings at Bennett Street, Richardson Street, and Water Street.
Anyone with questions about any of 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.
