Elm St. Closure from Dover St. to Russell St.

240 Elm Street Closure Update

Update: Fri., June 26, 2015

To prepare to reopen both lanes of Elm St., crews will need to fully close Elm St. on Saturday morning, June 27, between 4 a.m. and approximately 7 a.m. During this time, jersey barriers will be shifted to the parking lane in front of 240 Elm St. to create a temporary pedestrian walkway as construction continues.

During this brief closure, vehicle traffic will be detoured onto Dover St., left onto Orchard St., left onto Russell St., and back to Elm St. Pedestrian access will be maintained, however please follow posted signage as well as the requests of public safety officials on site.

Please note that work may be completed prior to 7 a.m. on Saturday, and that crews will work as quickly as possible to reopen all portions of this road prior to the start of business.

If you have any questions, please call 311 (617-666-3311). Thank you.

Due to public safety concerns over a structurally compromised front exterior of the building at 240 Elm St. in Davis Square, Elm Street between Dover Street and Russell Street will be closed to all cars and there will be no access for pedestrians between Chester Street and Grove Street until further notice.

In the course of work to repair the parapet wall and façade of the building, a structural engineer from the firm Roome & Guarracino LLC, hired by the building's owner, determined that "along [the Elm Street] wall, between the steel beam bearing piers, the masonry has been taken down below the roof framing level and no longer engages the wall with the roof diaphragm." This unstable wall condition creates the risk that the front exterior wall could collapse onto the street and sidewalk below, the engineer concluded. The engineer also advised the building owner that masonry was being removed from the building's façade on the Elm Street side of the building without shoring installed, and that the sidewalk should be closed during the installation of required shoring.

Upon being informed of these unsafe conditions, City inspectors ordered the closure of businesses within the structure and immediate vicinity, worked with Somerville Police and Fire to establish precautionary sidewalk and lane closures on Elm Street, and reviewed the site. Based on the engineer's findings and subsequent review, the City closed all street lanes, the opposite sidewalk and nearby businesses to ensure public safety. These closures will remain in effect until the structure and area is deemed safe. Business owners and the public will be kept informed in real time on the situation. To review the advisory from Roome & Guarrancino LLC, please see below.

During the street closure, the following temporary detours and traffic pattern changes will be in place, however if at all possible, please seek alternate routes, particularly during morning and evening rush hour commutes:

• Highland Avenue between College Avenue and Grove Street will be temporarily converted to accommodate two-way traffic.
• Vehicles traveling east on Holland Street may take a right onto Dover Street, or continue onto Highland Avenue.
• Vehicles traveling west on Highland Avenue may continue onto Holland Street, or right onto College Avenue. Cars will not be permitted to turn left onto Dover Street.
• Vehicles traveling into Davis Square on College Avenue may only turn right onto Holland Street. Cars will not be permitted to travel straight onto Dover Street nor take a left turn onto Highland Avenue.

Somerville Police will be stationed in this area to assist with detours, and message boards will be placed in Teele Square and at the Powder House Rotary.

MBTA buses that normally stop at Elm Street and Chester Street-Routes 87, 88, 89, 90, 94, and 96-will stop in front of the Citizens Bank building at 212 Elm St. For more information please check the MBTA's Service Alerts page at mbta.com/rider_tools/transit_updates.

Text of letter from Jason Ferris, Structural Engineer for Roome & Guarracino LLC: