Mystic To Woburn Line Project Construction Update

From City of Medford:

Posted on September 11, 2019

The following is an announcement from Eversource:

Dear Neighbor,

As part of our everyday effort to deliver reliable energy to our customers and communities, we want to let you know about upcoming work associated with the Mystic to Woburn Line Project, a 115-kilovolt (kV) underground transmission line that will connect our Mystic Substation in Everett, Mass., and our Woburn Substation on Pond Street in Woburn. Ongoing project construction in Medford will require crews to work within or near public streets over the next several months. This project is one of several that are designed to improve the reliability of the electric system serving the Greater Boston and surrounding areas where we all work and live.

We’re Always Working to Serve You Better

Starting soon, crews from McCourt Construction will be working near Victory Park on Winthrop Street between Brooks Street and Exeter Street to install an underground vault for the Mystic to Woburn Line Project.

What You Can Expect

Reliable Service: Be assured that this work will not interrupt electric service to your property.

Proper Identification: All people working on this project carry identification. Eversource contractors will occasionally be in your neighborhood to tell you what to expect with the nearby inspection and maintenance work.

Where We Will Be Working: All associated activities will occur at locations within or near public streets. Activities will involve a traffic/work setup at the vault locations which are listed below:
Winthrop Street (between Exeter Street and Brooks Street)

Construction Hours: Work will occur in this area Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Due to weather or other unexpected circumstances, the work hours may be extended.

Traffic and Pedestrian Management:

• A permanent work zone will be required for the duration of this work (about two-three weeks) and will occupy a portion of Winthrop Street and the sidewalk near Victory Park, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• The permanent work zone will require an alternate traffic pattern on Winthrop Street that will allow for two-way traffic at all times.
• Eversource will utilize local police when needed to assist with traffic management.
• Parking restrictions will be necessary beyond permitted work hours and are clearly posted at the work site.
• A pedestrian detour will be set up for several weeks. Pedestrians walking on the north side of Winthrop Street will be directed via a temporary crosswalk to the south side of Winthrop Street. This detour will impact students walking to and from Medford High School.

Construction Activities
Project construction will include the following activities:

• Setting up a safe and secure permanent work site on Winthrop Street.
• Cutting existing asphalt and excavating an area (typically 24 ft. long by 9 ft. deep by 9 ft. wide) to accommodate the vault installation.
• Removal of rock and soils from the site, using excavators and dump trucks.
• Temporarily using steel road plates to safely secure the area at the end of each day.
• Installing the new, pre-fabricated concrete vault in sections with the use of crane.
• Areas will be temporarily restored once the underground vaults are installed. When the overall project is completed in 2020, final restoration activities will occur.

Project Completion:
Work at this vault location on Winthrop Street is anticipated to take approximately 2-3 weeks to excavate and install, and will be followed by trench-digging operations. Overall, the Project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2020, including final restoration.

Contact Us
We are committed to being a good neighbor and doing our work with respect for you and your property. For more information about this work, please call 1-800-793-2202, or send an email to ProjectInfo@eversource.com. Thank you.

This press release was produced by City of Medford. The views expressed here are the author’s own.