MassDOT To Begin Construction On Needham-Newton Corridor Project

NEWTON, MA — Construction will begin Dec. 7 on the $31.1 million Needham Street to Highland Avenue redesign project, according to MassDOT. The project is set to impact traffic in the area for years.

Dec. 7 crews will start construction on Highland Avenue from Webster Street to Highland Circle at the Charles River. The work includes constructing retaining walls, utility infrastructure, stormwater drainage, roadway widening, and sidewalk reconstruction between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

MassDOT said two-way traffic and access to cross streets and driveways shouldn't be disrupted and police details will help guide drivers through the construction zone.

Although drivers on the Newton side of the project will feel the traffic impact, crews aren't scheduled to start updating the Newton side of the project until next summer.

The project includes an overhaul of Needham Street, the portion of Winchester Street up to Route 9, the bridge over the Charles River and a portion of Highland Avenue in Needham. The project is scheduled to finish in 2023.

"It's the biggest road construction project to touch our region in a generation," Newton-Needham Chamber President Greg Reibman said last month. "It will significantly improve the corridor for pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and buses."

It will also mean traffic, he said.

But this has been long in coming.

For decades local and state players have been talking about what to do with the entire 2-mile corridor that stretches from Route 9 into Needham - then in 2013 they landed on the idea of making it part of an "N-squared" innovation corridor. As part of that district renovation, plans launched to revitalize the 2-mile strip along Needham Street into Newton complete with bike lanes and new sidewalk and improvements on the Charles River bridge, making it safer for pedestrians and bikers as well as cars.

Construction was set to begin in November on the Needham end of the project. The Highland Avenue section between Webster Street and Hunting Road crews will widen the roadway to make two lanes in each direction with an exclusive left turn lane. They'll add a raised bike lane and sidewalk and replace the signals at both intersections.

By late winter, crews should be ready to tackle the Wexford Street and the Charles River section of Highland Avenue, according to MassDOT.

According to MassDOT, work will mostly take place from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. And, during rush hour all lanes will be open, according to the contractor.