By AUBREY HAWKE
Waltham Times Contributing Writer
After years of ongoing issues with construction on Lexington Street, the City Council has created a resolution aiming to support impacted residents and businesses.
The resolution, which was approved at the Nov. 12 City Council meeting, asks council members to “investigate ways to accelerate this project and mitigate any further impact on local residents and businesses.”
Councilor-at-Large Paul J. Brasco drafted the resolution, saying complaints from residents and business leaders pushed him to act.
Brasco said traversing Lexington Street has been “a nightmare.”
He also said construction-related traffic detours have been a financial burden for Lexington Street businesses, noting that some stores at the Wal-Lex plaza on Lexington Street reported upwards of 15% drops in business due to the construction work. He said The Paper Store reported being off $18,000 from its previous week’s sales while Dunkin’ reported being about $6,000 off from the prior week.
Ward 1 Councilor Anthony LaFauci said that water main-related construction, which has spanned from the Piety Corner intersection to the Lexington town line, is not being handled by Waltham’s Public Works Committee but instead “is an MWRA project that was stuffed down our throat. They basically said, ‘We’re coming and learn to deal with it.’”
In a statement to The Waltham Times, MWRA spokesperson Troy Wall wrote: “The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority continues to work with the City of Waltham regarding the extension of the Section 101 water distribution system. Once complete, this project will provide critical system redundancy in the event of an emergency to residents, businesses, and others located within Waltham’s Prospect Hill area and beyond. Cooperative efforts with the city include adjusting traffic patterns, deploying police details at strategic locations, and adjusting crews’ work schedules to reduce project impacts. Largescale projects, such as this one, require a high level of collaboration, which the MWRA remains committed to, and will review any ideas presented to the Authority for consideration. Additionally, the MWRA thanks the City of Waltham for its cooperation on this difficult, but important project.”
The water main project is not the only recent or ongoing major construction on Lexington Street. Construction related to the new Waltham High School building and construction related to the reconfiguration of the Piety Corner intersection also have both impacted the street and traffic flow in recent years.
To address concerns, city officials requested representatives from the MWRA and other organizations attend the next public Economic & Community Development Committee meeting at City Hall at 7 p.m. on Nov. 18.
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