WESTFORD — Town Engineer Paul Starratt provided the Select Board with an update regarding the ongoing Boston Road Reconstruction Project during the March 10 meeting.
The meeting also tackled a wide range of other business including infrastructure projects and preparations for the upcoming town meeting.
Board members opened the meeting with announcements about numerous vacant seats on town boards and committees, with officials encouraging residents to volunteer. Attendees and viewers were also reminded that the annual town meeting will take place March 28 at 9 a.m., correcting an earlier postcard that mistakenly listed the wrong time.
Starratt then presented an update on the Boston Road Reconstruction Project. He said that the work remains on schedule, but warned residents to expect continued traffic disruptions through the upcoming construction season.
The $15.6 million reconstruction project, which is being managed and funded by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation in partnership with the Town of Westford, is aimed largely at correcting long-standing drainage problems along Boston Road.
“Boston Road is the ‘Boston Road Car Wash currently,’” Starratt joked. “If you came up Boston Road recently, you’ll see a great illustration of why we’re doing this project. We’ve had minimal stormwater accommodations on Boston Road forever, and that water has just eroded down Boston Hill and ended up into Tadmuck Swamp for decades. I’m proud to say that we’re going to eliminate that in its entirety.”
Starratt said construction crews installed an 18-inch pipe beneath the roadway during the previous construction phase last fall and will add numerous catch basins when work officially resumes on the project in April. The improvements are intended to collect and redirect runoff through underground systems, eliminating the current erosion and water flow issues along the corridor.
Despite much of the work being put on hold between November and April, minor construction continued through much of the winter, with traffic reduced to a single lane, while construction crews installed underdrain systems along the roadway.
Starratt said he expects more intensive work to begin next month, including installation of a new water main. Transportation officials, contractors and police will determine whether traffic detours are necessary on a day-by-day basis, but Starratt anticipates detours will likely be in place through much of the summer.
“We’re guessing that early to mid April is typically when we let the ‘dogs of war’ loose out on our roads and they go out and do all the things they do,” Starratt said. “But we will have information signs, we’re steady with our social media, we’ll send out our email to road construction news and update our webpage for the project.”
Starratt said the project is targeted to be substantially complete by Nov. 15, the end of the fall 2026 construction season. Contractors would return the following spring to complete minor finishing work and cleanup.
While he acknowledged that construction has caused disruptions for commuters and residents, Starratt said such impacts are unavoidable during major road projects, adding that contractors have worked closely with town departments, police and nearby property owners to address concerns and maintain communication.
When the board asked Starratt if construction crews came across any challenges during the project so far, he said unexpected ledges that were encountered during excavation did slow progress earlier on, but crews made up time by extending drainage work into the fall and early spring.
“The ledge seemed to find all of the locations where we didn’t do Geoprobes, so we did encounter some that was unexpected,” Starratt said. “It did slow us down a little bit, but I think we made up for it by allowing them to do the underdrain through the fall and into the spring, so that was good news. And we continue to work with all of our abutters, every abutter on the project has my cellphone number, and they know how to get in touch with me, and they do. And we try to resolve issues as they come up.”
During the meeting, board members and residents also raised questions about access to the Peace Trail along Boston Road. Ellen Harde, president of the nonprofit that owns the nearby Drew Farmhouse property, said parking for up to four vehicles will be provided at the site. A new sidewalk along Boston Road will allow visitors to park at the property and walk to the trail entrance.
Board Clerk John Cunningham also asked Starratt if there were plans to replace the gas lines under the road. Starratt said that National Grid was satisfied with the condition of the current gas lines under Boston Road and has no plans to replace them, but they will be present during the construction in case there are any issues and to avoid possible damage or leaks.
Following the update, the Select Board unanimously approved a partial release of an Agricultural Preservation Restriction for small portions of land needed for the project.
The release allows installation of public utilities, guardrails, slopes and sidewalks associated with the roadway work while maintaining the underlying preservation protections.
Board members said the changes involve only small easements rather than full land transfers and will not remove the agricultural protections attached to the property.
