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Adams Street Dig Begins in April

By Scott MacKeen
Staff Writer
3/25/10
Construction along Adams Street to replace existing water pipelines is scheduled to begin during the first week of April.

According to Public Works Director Joe Lynch, construction will begin at the intersection of Eliot Street, in Milton Village, and proceed east, approaching the Forbes House Museum by July./p> Construction will approach Centre Street by August and Brook Road by September, according to the plan./p> Meanwhile, a second construction crew will begin digging shortly after the first one, starting at Centre Street, working west down Adams Street and approaching Randolph Avenue by August.

Additionally, by late May, a third crew will begin work near Squantum Street, with a goal of reaching the East Milton Square post office by mid-July, according to Lynch.

It is hoped that all the construction in town can be wrapped up in one construction season – by November – an MWRA representative told Selectmen last week.

Repaving of the road is planned for between May and November of next year.

“This is heavy construction. There’s no if, ands or buts about it. It will be an inconvenience. But it’s also necessary,” said Mike Hornbrook, a Milton resident and MWRA employee, at the Selectmen’s March 18 meeting.

As Hornbrook explained, the pipelines being replaced are more than 100 years old and supply water both to Milton and Quincy. He said the work is needed to assure the future reliability of the infrastructure, which he referred to as a “ticking time bomb.”

“We are afraid [the pipelines] could catastrophically fail,” Hornbrook said.

The work will include replacement of roughly 9,200 feet of MWRA-owned pipeline.

Some construction holes will be capped overnight to allow vehicles to drive on, Hornbrook said. Construction can occur from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or dusk.

Hornbrook said the contractor for the $14.5 million project, RJV Construction Corp., has set a 40-month timetable to complete all phases of the construction. Digging along Washington Street in Dorchester, near the Milton line, is planned for the next construction season.

Police Chief Richard Wells Jr. was at last week’s meeting to answer Selectmen’s questions. He said he is confident his department can manage traffic adjustments during the construction.

“Phase one went seamlessly,” he said, referring to the first leg of the pipeline-replacement project, which focused on Granite Avenue. “We don’t anticipate any problems.”

Town Administrator Kevin Mearn said the MWRA has held several public outreach meetings and has been “very receptive” in taking concerns into account.