Construction | City of Somerville

Maintaining, Modernizing, and Improving the City of Somerville

Maintaining and improving our community’s parks, buildings, and infrastructure is key to supporting our quality of life in Somerville. From roadways and sidewalks to playgrounds, sewers, utilities, and schools, Somerville residents and businesses rely on these critical assets daily. Yet some of these features and structures date back to as early as the 1870s and others like our utilities are highly complex. Updates, ongoing care, and innovative improvements are continually needed – and, often, so is construction and renovation.

We do this vital work with a host of partners because these assets are owned by a broad network of public and private entities, including the City, the State, the MBTA, utility companies, and others. The Ballantyne administration is committed to working alongside our network of partners to invest in the present and future of our City’s infrastructure to meet not just our community’s needs but also our goals. Explore this page to learn about projects and improvements we’re working on.

Important Information and Alerts

*The above list is not a comprehensive list of road closure/detours. More information on construction happening around Somerville can be found below.

City Improvement Projects

The City is making a number of high-impact investments in our municipal infrastructure ranging from road safety improvements to vital sewer system upgrades to address flooding and more. These improvements are central to the pursuit of our SomerVision 2040 and Climate Forward goals.

These projects through which the City will improve our current services and proactively build greater resiliency.

Active Improvement Projects

School Building Construction Projects

Winter Hill @ Edgerly Education Center

Our Capital Projects Division has been leading the effort to transform the Edgerly Education Center into the Winter Hill @ Edgerly, a functioning K-8 school. This quick turnaround project includes reconfiguring walls to turn office space back into classrooms, running new electrical and data wires for smartboards, installing new fire protection equipment, refurbishing bathrooms, and generally making the spaces welcoming to students.

We are regrading and resurfacing the parking lot on the Otis Street side to function as an outdoor play space, bringing in furniture and structures, and installing murals to make those outdoor spaces vibrant. We are also completing long-overdue deferred maintenance on the building’s exterior, replacing and repointing brick, recaulking and resealing windows, and patching the roof to stop water from entering the building.

This work must be substantially complete before students arrive on August 30th. As such, we will be working extended hours and weekends. It is possible that we will have follow-on weekend work once school starts.

Ongoing Maintenance and Rehabilitation Projects

Park, Playground, Public Spaces Construction

The City’s Public Space and Urban Forestry Division manages the design and construction of the parks, plazas, streetscapes and open spaces throughout Somerville.

Below you’ll find information about ongoing public space construction projects:

City-owned Building Construction

Capital Projects oversees the construction, reconstruction, renovation, and preventive maintenance of all City-owned buildings.

Utility Work (Gas, Electric, Cable, etc.)

Some services such as gas, electric, cable/internet are provided to Somerville residents through private utility companies. These companies regularly perform maintenance and improvement work within the city. This work is coordinated through Somerville’s Engineering Division's permitting process.

The below utility work is currently planned for the 2024 construction season.

Gas Main Replacements – Eversource Gas

Bailey Street from North St. to West Adams St.
Dane Street from Somerville Ave. to Washington St.
Highland Avenue from Benton Rd. to School St.

Gas Main Replacements – National Grid

Franklin Street from Broadway to Webster St.
Glen Street from Pearl St. to Webster St.
Webster Street from Franklin St. to Glen St.
Hathorn Street from Arlington St. to Broadway
Arlington Street from Franklin St. to Lincoln St.

State and Federal Roads Construction

A number of state and federal highway facilities, including Interstate 93, State Route 28 (McGrath Highway / Fellsway), State Route 38 (Mystic Avenue), and State Route 16 (Mystic Valley Parkway / Alewife Brook Parkway) run through Somerville.

The City of Somerville works collaboratively with state agency partners including the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR) to maintain these roads and improve safety and accessibility for all users.

Learn more about state and federal highway projects in Somerville.

Private Construction

The City’s Inspectional Services Department (ISD) ensures the safety of residents and community members by enforcing city ordinances and state and federal codes relating to building construction and public health.

Learn more about ISD and the permitting process.

Some larger private developments will provide periodic updates on building design and construction. You can view some of these resources below:

US2 (10 Prospect St. and 50 Webster Ave.)
299 Broadway

Construction Newsletter

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Programs & Initiatives

Slice of the City

Join us to celebrate Somerville’s open spaces, engage with the City outside of formal meetings, and of course – enjoy some pizza.

New Small Business Vitality Grant

The City of Somerville’s New Small Business Vitality Grant offers up to 12 months of rental support for physical storefronts, with a maximum of $50,000.

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