Category Archives: Traffic

Central St. Bridge Work

In today’s SUN…
City bridge work to drag on through February
Construction on the Central Street bridge over the Pawtucket Canal, which began late last summer, has been delayed by a couple months, according to the company overseeing the project.
Enel Green Power North America, Inc., an Andover-based renewable-energy plant operator, owns the canal and is completing the project on the Central Street bridge and two other bridges in the city.
A spokesperson for the company said work on the Central Street bridge was supposed to be complete by mid-December, but the schedule has been pushed back to projected completion in February due to conditions that were not known until construction began.

Jackson St. Improvements

An update from James Errickson, DPD

On November 11, 2011 (Veteran’s Day), the City’s contractors for this project will be “cold-planing” the street in preparation for the eventual paving of Jackson Street . This may cause traffic disruptions on Jackson Street during the day. Following this step, the final paving of Jackson Street will be scheduled, for which the City intends to complete prior to the Thanksgiving holiday weekend (pending weather conditions and materials supply).

CENTRAL STREET COBBLESTONE WORK

CENTRAL STREET COBBLESTONE WORK
The next phase of the long anticipated project to remove the cobblestones on Central Street from Market St. to Appleton St. is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, September 13th at 8:00 p.m. This will be an overnight project with a second night on Thursday September 15th (if necessary).

The work to be performed is the removal of the cobbles from the intersection of Central and Middlesex Streets. Work will be done in one travel lane and then switch to the other side. Police details will be on site to assist with traffic flow.

Since this phase involves working directly in the intersections, the decision was made to perform the work at night to minimize traffic disruptions. There will be some noise generated by this construction. While we will work to keep that to a minimum, it cannot be eliminated.
The Parking Dept. will be placing bags on the meters/space numbers. In order to shorten the duration of the project, the work will be conducted during the day and some nights. We will try to balance the work load to minimize the impact.
As with any construction project, there is the expectation that the short-term disruption and inconvenience will result in the long-term benefit of improved travel conditions for both vehicles and pedestrians.
We know how important a smooth driving surface is to all who use our downtown and this project is a big step towards providing that. We appreciate your patience and cooperation during this project.

Any questions can be directed to the City Engineer’s office at 978-970-3330

Central St. work update

CENTRAL STREET COBBLESTONE WORK

Lowell, MA (August 30, 2011) – The next phase of the long anticipated project to remove the cobblestones on Central Street from Market St. to Appleton St. is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, August 31st at 8:00 p.m. This overnight project will run for two consecutive nights.

The work to be performed is the removal of the cobbles from the intersections. Work will be done in one travel lane and then switch to the other side. Police details will be on site to assist with traffic flow.

Since this phase involves working directly in the intersections, the decision was made to perform the work at night to minimize traffic disruptions. There will be some noise generated by this construction. While we will work to keep that to a minimum, it cannot be eliminated.

The Parking Dept. will be placing bags on the meters/space numbers. In order to shorten the duration of the project, the work will be conducted during the day and some nights. We will try to balance the work load to minimize the impact.

As with any construction project, there is the expectation that the short-term disruption and inconvenience will result in the long-term benefit of improved travel conditions for both vehicles and pedestrians.

We know how important a smooth driving surface is to all who use our downtown and this project is a big step towards providing that. We appreciate your patience and cooperation during this project.

Any questions can be directed to the City Engineer’s office at 978-970-3330

CENTRAL STREET COBBLESTONE WORK

The long anticipated cobblestone work to Central Street from Market St. to Appleton St. is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, August 24th at 5.30 a.m.

As with any construction project, there is the expectation that the short-term disruption and inconvenience will result in the long-term benefit of improved travel conditions for both vehicles and pedestrians.


The whole project involves removing cobbles at the intersections and along the gutter line. The first task will be the removal of cobbles along the curb line. The cobbles will be removed and replaced with asphalt. There can be no vehicles parked at the curb during this operation which should take about a week. Parking is available at both the Early Garage at 135 Middlesex St. and the Roy Garage at 100 Market St. The schedule of the next phase will be announced at the end of this phase.


The Parking Dept. will be placing bags on the meters/space numbers the night before. In order to shorten the duration of the project, the work will be conducted during the day and some nights. We will try to balance the work load to minimize the impact.


We know how important a smooth driving surface is to all who use our downtown and this project is a big step towards providing that. We appreciate your patience and cooperation during this project. Any questions can be directed to Lisa DeMeo, City EngineerPhone: 978-970-3330

Central Street Projects to begin AUGUST

Two projects will be beginning very soon in close proximity to each other…

1.Repairs to crosswalks/sidewalks at Central/Middlesex/Gorham (yeah!). The work is expected start this week and take 6 weeks to complete. CM’s office says work will be done at night and advertised in advance” through the city web site, SUN and neighborhood groups. I do not yet see any information on the city web site. I will post any information as I get it on this web page and our Facebook.

2.Back in June you may recall there was a meeting held by ENEL to provide information about the Central St. bridge construction that will begin approx. August 22nd and is expected to take 4 months. Daily construction hours will be 7AM to 5PM however there are portions of the work that will have to be completed during night time hours. Below are a few slides from the presentation. I have emailed the entire presentation to LDNA members. I will likewise post on any updates.

ONE MORE THING…

From MassDOT:

Please be advised SPS New England Inc., the main contractor on the Lowell Connector bridge over Plain St. has announced that on Monday, June 20, 2011 starting at 7:00 PM the in-bound lane on the Lowell Connector will be fully closed at Plain Street between exit 4 and exit 5 to allow the relocation of the temporary barrier from the current stage one configuration to stage two traffic management plan. On Tuesday June 21, 2011 also beginning at 7:00 PM the out-bound lane will be closed.

All the traffic will be detoured onto the off and on ramps on both Lowell Connector Northbound and Southbound. Motorists are advised to seek alternate routes or if travel is necessary on this route to use caution in the approach of the detour area. If you should have any questions or require any further information contact:

1: Chris Leahy, MassDOT Area Engineer – 781-641-8307
2: Anthony Neve – MassDOT Resident Engineer – 781-853-8739

Upcoming Construction Informational Meeting – Central Street Bridge Construction

Can you say traffic nightmare? Everyone please try to attend…even if you are still tired from Monday night Cook-out.

Construction Informational Meeting for the Central Street Bridge Construction Project.

Date: 6/28/11
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Middlesex Community College
, Morse Federal Building ( 50 Kearney Square ), Assembly Room

Jackson St. Improvements

It’s difficult to believe that by fall you’ll be walking down a sidewalk on a tree lined Jackson St. How sweet is that!

NOTICE: Starting Monday, May 23, 2011, Jackson Street will be converted to one-way traffic from Marston Street to Central Street in order to complete the pedestrian and streetscape improvements along this stretch of roadway. Construction will last approximately 1-2 months.

As can be seen, the Jackson Street and Canal Street Bridge Improvement Project is underway! To date, work has included selective demolition, site preparation, and utility relocation/connection activities, among others. The next step in the project is to focus construction on the north side of Jackson Street from Marston Street to Central Street (in front of the Early Garage to Central Street ).

Because this work requires extensive excavation of a significant portion of the roadway, the City will be restricting Jackson Street to one-way traffic from Marston Street to Central Street to complete this portion of the project (approximately 1-2 months). This will allow the contractor to most efficiently and safely complete the improvements along this stretch of Jackson Street .

City Police, DPD, Traffic, and Engineering staff are currently working closely with the project’s contractor to ensure the traffic plan is properly and safely signed, marketed, and implemented.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for your patience during the completion of this neighborhood improvement project!

James Errickson | Urban Renewal Project Manager
The City of Lowell
Department of Planning & Development
50 Arcand Drive | Lowell , MA 01852
t: 978.446.7200 | f: 978.970.4262 | www.Lowell.org

New Trolley Signals at Market and Dutton

Thanks to Sam for being the first person I heard from that noticed these lights…and to TonyC at richardhowe.com for posting this video!