Tree work begins as early as 7/17; Drainage and Sidewalk Work to Follow Later This Summer

It’s mid-July and while things might be a little quieter than usual in the neighborhood around Tufts Street with classes out for the summer at the East, Capuano, and WHCIS at Edgerly, we’re moving toward the start of construction.

Tree removal work is on horizon while sidewalk reconstruction will have to wait a bit longer as our contractor’s crews complete remaining work elsewhere in the city and beyond.

Below we’ve included some details on tree removal work and what you can expect moving forward.

Tree Removals (and info on future plantings)

In preparation for construction, as early as tomorrow 7/17 and running through early next week, crews will begin removal of the 21 street trees slated for removal as part of this project. These trees assessed by the City’s Arborist and Tree Warden and were approval for removal at a public tree hearing in November 2024.

The good news is that the City will be planting around ~40 new street trees as a part of this project. The new, wider sidewalks will allow us to plant these news trees in larger, continuous planting areas that promote heathier growth. (The majority of the trees slated for removal were in poor to fair health due in part to them having been planting in smaller tree pits).

New trees will create continuous shade coverage along the street and species are selected by the City’s Urban Forestry Division.

Drainage Work and Sidewalk Reconstruction

Drainage work in advance of sidewalk reconstruction is currently anticipated to begin in early September after the Labor Day holiday. As this work approaches, we’ll share more information with the neighborhood about the contractor’s plans and a more specific schedule.

In the meantime, the City’s project team including engineering design consultants are finalizing plans for that work including the development of detail soil management plans.

For more information about this work, please see our construction kick-off presentation from earlier this spring.

As always if you have questions about this work or any work around the city, please email construction@somervillema.gov or call the Engineering Division at 617-625-6600 ext. 5400.