Somerville Businesses Bear With Broadway Bridge Closure

SOMERVILLE, MA — The smell of breakfast fills Ball Square Café late on a Wednesday morning. Hash browns crackle on the grill as the bustling wait staff rotates through the cramped kitchen and out to the dining area, where five tables are full inside the Broadway restaurant and one is taken on the sidewalk patio.

Their not-so-scenic view from the front window: A line of orange barrels on either side of a giant white sign that reads: "Bridge Closed."

The $2.3-billion Green Line Extension Project, which has forced the closure of three Somerville bridges for construction of new rails that will push MBTA subway service through Somerville out to Medford, kicked into high gear in March with the demolition of the Broadway Bridge.

"It sucks," shrugged Ball Square Café owner Mike Moccia as he scans the security monitors inside of his office. "It's not the same. I've been here (working in Ball Square) for 37 years. It's not the same. But, thank God, our customers are really supportive of us still."

In the shadows of the fencing and barriers that block access to the construction site, windows of liquor stores, hair salons and eateries are dotted with signs urging patrons to support them during the construction period that is expected to require detours through at least March.

Avenue Kitchen + Bar owner Kenny Schweizer has been in his space on the corner of Boston Avenue and Rogers Avenue for one month. As he sits at his bar in front of his laptop preparing for the night, he said the response to the new place has been great — once he can get people in the door.

"It's a little harder to advertise," he said. "We lost 2,000 cars a day that are no longer going by. We still have new customers and people from the neighborhood coming in every day saying: 'We didn’t know you were open yet.'"

Significant traffic and business disruption due to the "GLX" project includes the closed Washington Street underpass, the closed Medford Street bridge and weekday detours on Somerville Avenue.

The GLX website is updated each week with information on what type of work is being done throughout rail extension and the City of Somerville sends out newsletters to subscribers with similar information. But Schweizer said there is still confusion with ride services that rely on GPS for directions to Ball Square.

"I live in Medford and take an Uber here every day," he said. "Every day the driver's route says to go up Harvard Street. I try telling them every time about the bridge, but sometimes they aren't paying attention, and then you get to Harvard Street, and it's closed. Then by the time you get to College Avenue, that's backed up."

Moccia said his biggest issue with the construction is that the signage leading toward Ball Square acts as a deterrent. A bright orange sign at Teele Square warns: "BROADWAY AT BALL SQUARE CLOSED. SEEK ALTERNATE ROUTE." While a smaller blue sign right under that notifies that businesses are open during construction.

"Why?" he asked. "This is 2019. I think we're in a day and age where we have to understand that we’re going to affect businesses. If they are trying to do that, they’re doing a great job."

Still, Moccia says the parking crunch for those who do venture into the area has been alleviated because so many people are making an effort to avoid Ball Square, and that his loyal customer base keeps the café "paying our bills."

"We really have no big complaints," he said. "But I know other businesses — I have other friends who are close by, in close proximity — who say they are a little hurting, unfortunately."