Salem Street Improvements
Boston Public Works Construction
The Boston Public Works Department (PWD) is undertaking substantial improvements to Salem Street, from Cross Street to Charter Street.
Salem Street is a vibrant and busy part of the North End which includes residential, commercial, restaurants, and tourist components. This makes Salem Street a difficult construction location at any time during the week. However, these improvements have been strongly advocated for by the neighborhood and PWD is proceeding with the completion of the project. PWD, in concert with Councilor Sal LaMattina and the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, will work to complete the project as quickly as possible and reduce the inconvenience to the people of Salem Street. The full scope of work includes:
- New pedestrian ramps
- Sidewalk repair at various locations
- Removal of current street lights
- Repair and alterations to street light bases
- Installation and addition of new LED acorn-style street lights. There are currently 35 street lights on Salem Street. There will be a new total of 70 lights on the street when completed.
- Existing roadway grinding and full roadway resurfacing
Please observe the temporary parking restrictions.
Commercial deliveries will be accommodated but merchants are requested to schedule them prior to 8:00AM during construction.
The projected work schedule includes:
Phase 1
- The corner pedestrian ramps on Salem Street will be completed by June 28.
Phase 2
- This phase will be completed on a block-by-block basis to reduce the parking restrictions along Salem Street.
- There will be some sidewalk work conducted for new street light bases and this construction will occur between the hours of 7:00AM-4:00PM. This work is expected to take 3 weeks starting the week of June 24.
- Street light-related work on Salem Street, from Cross to Prince Streets will take place on Monday-Thursdays between the hours of 4:00PM-11:00PM starting the week of June 24. Salem Street, from Prince to Charter Streets will also include Saturday work between 8:00AM-3:00PM. This involves the removal of old lights and installing the new poles/fixtures.
- This phase is anticipated to take until September.
Please note that weather and neighborhood events may alter the proposed schedule.
Phase 3
- The existing roadway will be grinded down, the manholes/castings reset, and resurfaced.
- This is scheduled during the month of October and will take 2 weeks for completion.
- Work will be conducted during the weekdays.
Again, there is no easy alternative to the inconvenience of this construction project. Your patience and consideration is appreciated during this important neighborhood improvement project. Please contact Frank O’Brien of the PWD at Frank.O’Brien@cityofboston.gov or at 617- 635-3485 with any questions.
The workmanship is of such a poor quality it is embarrassing. These Cicconi guys show up, stand around, put asphalt down in a haphazard way and call it a job well done. If they are going to do work, do it right.
The “New Pedestrian Ramps” are a disgrace. Instead of replacing the sidewalks per American Disabilities Act standards (http://www.ada.gov/pcatoolkit/app1curbramps.htm), they have created mounds of asphalt that protrude in to the road. Very, very poor workmanship. Please tell me this will be corrected.
You are right about the ramps, but I’d like to believe that these are temporary and that the final paving of the entire street will correct them. I honestly don’t think it’s fair to blame the construction crews. They are probably just doing work specified in their work specifications. What I have observed is that they seem to do very clean work with good attention to detail (just my observations).
What I’d like to know is: with all these improvements, how are we going to force residents to put trash outside of their own buildings and not pile it where most convenient, like in the open-air dumpster area at Salem and Bartlett?
I routinely observe people from buildings on Salem St. pile their trash in that area rather than IN FRONT OF THEIR OWN BUILDINGS where it is supposed to be placed.
All the beautification in the world is a waste if it will be marred with an enormous pile of trash for over 12 hours 3 days a week.
Who is in charge of the oversight here? Seriously, the ramps are a disgrace. The sidewalk has been repaired in a haphazard way. My only expectation is that Cicconi will re-pave the street to look exactly as bad as it is now. A lot of time and money with no results. It’s absurd they got the contract.
Mayor’s Hotline 617-635-4500
Also, the ramp they put on the corner of Salem and Charter is ridiculous – it juts out into the road several feet making a tight left turn even more difficult. These ramps had better be temporary!!!
DPW has agreed to start Phase 3 after Columbus Day to avoid paving over the the thousands of tourists crossing Salem Street at the Old North Church. Thank you, Commissioner Massaro.
The asphalt ramps are temporary.
PLEASE redo the street lighting down Prince street between salem and hanover at least as well! I am a resident who lives on Prince street on the second floor of my building and the HUGE overhead lighting that comes in from the extremely tall fixtures is extremely overwhelming. It’s as if the sun is beaming directly in my window all night long. After seeing the beautiful lower and lower profile streetlights being installed along Salem, I can only hope that the city follows the beautification project along the natural footpath that exists from Salem to Hanover along Prince, making for a nice well rounded and much appreciated look and feel!