Highland Avenue will be torn up through 2027; Teele Square fire station repairs are progressing
A car nears a pothole on Highland Avenue in Somerville on Monday. (Photo: Marc Levy)
Highland Avenue is on track to be paved in June at the earliest, according to a memo from Somerville director of engineering Brian Postlewaite to the City Council’s Public Utilities and Public Works Committee.
The memo was written in response to two council orders asking Postlewaite if the paving could come this year and for the administration to speak on its ability to provide further repairs to the road – and if there are none, to say if it’s compliant with road engineering regulations.
Eversource is doing utility work expected to be done in late spring or early summer – but that won’t be the end of the disruptions. According to director of infrastructure and asset management Rich Raiche, the city will soon go in to do sewer separation work; a full reconstruction of Highland Avenue is planned for 2026-2027.
At-large councilors Jake Wilson and Charlotte Kelly dug in at the Nov. 13 meeting. Kelly said the timeline of Highland Avenue projects needed to be made more clear for the public. “Our constituents are really wanting us to make decisions that help accelerate the paving,” Kelly said.
The agenda also listed discussions around the 1895 civic building on Central Hill; funding and staffing for a School Building Master Plan study; and deficiencies in City Hall on Central Hill and the City Hall Annex at 50 Evergreen Ave. in Winter Hill. The conversations didn’t take place.
Councillors did hear about the status of the Fire Department Master Plan Study, and got an update on repairs to the Teele Square fire station Repairs: The fire department will be able to park an engine in the station by Thanksgiving, and a ladder truck soon after, a memo said.
“This is very much on point and up to date and sounds like a great update there,” said Ward 4 councilor Jesse Clingan, the committee’s chair.
In the three-phase Fire Department Master Plan, the first two are nearing completion and the project team will be switching gears to the concept-design phase.
