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Update #168

Kendall Square Construction Update September 16 - September 30

Street and Sidewalk Impacts

Pedestrians and cyclists please beware of construction vehicles coming and going.

Wadsworth Street – Roadway Conditions into September

  • Wadsworth Street pedestrian access has reopened the western sidewalk between Main and Amherst Streets on the 238 Main building and Muckley building side of the street. (W1) 
  • Vehicular access between Amherst and Main Streets is open. (W1) 
  • Pedestrian access is closed across the Eastgate/Sloan parking lot. Pedestrian access to/from the Sloan building and garage will be from Main Street. The Sloan and Eastgate lot vehicular entrance continues to be from Main Street and closed at Wadsworth Street. (W2)
  • Pedestrian access is maintained to the E53/E52 ramp while Site 2 work is underway.
  • Structural demolition of Eastgate using automatic jackhammers, which will create noise, is underway from 7 am to 6 pm.
  • Overnight, Friday and Saturday, September 23 and 24, Wadsworth Street between Main Street and Memorial Drive will close temporarily to allow the transport of the oversized loads.

Main Street

  • The MBTA will divert Red Line riders on Saturday and Sunday, September 24-25, from the inbound Kendall Square station to accommodate weekend work hours. Inbound Red Line T riders will be instructed to get off at the following stop (Charles/MGH) and transfer to the outbound track to travel back to Kendall Square. Pedestrians will be directed to the northern sidewalk of Main Street during these activities. The outbound MBTA station will remain open and accessible.
  • MBTA passengers will now be switched to the interim headhouse and entrance/exit so that crews can continue renovation and modernization of the existing headhouse leading to the Kendall Square inbound MBTA station.  (M1)
  • MBTA project deliveries will intermittently take place at a gate off Main Street near the MBTA station.
  • The walkway between the inbound MBTA station and 292 Main Street (E37 and E38, the tower at Site 4) is restored and reopened. Fences are shifting and overhead protection is in place along the walkway accessing the MIT Welcome Center at 314 Main Street. (M2)
  • The Site 2 project is underway in the parking area south of Eastgate (E55) closing the Hermann Garage.
  • The inner sidewalk is closed to pedestrians from Wadsworth to Main Street. The Main Street access to the Sloan Garage will remain open throughout construction. A Sloan drop off/pick-up space will be maintained. 
  • An access driveway to Sloan Garage allows independent access to E62 (Sloan) and the garage without mixing with construction access for E55 demolition. Directional signage is posted and police details are on site to help direct traffic. (M2) 
  • The Main Street entrance to Hayward Street (Gate 1) is open to vehicles entering the underground loading dock at the grad tower at Site 4 (E37), 238 Main Street and 314 Main Street.
  • A construction gate near Wadsworth will be the entrance for Site 2 construction trucks and equipment. The existing gate will be the exit for construction vehicles. Police details will direct pedestrian, cycling and vehicular traffic in this area.

Memorial Drive

  • Overnight closure and work on Memorial Drive: September 23 – September 24. On Friday evening, September 23, a crane is scheduled to be assembled on Memorial Drive. From 10 pm Friday, September 23, through 7 am Saturday, September 24, Memorial Drive will be closed from Massachusetts Avenue to the Longfellow Bridge in Cambridge as the crane removes two large sections of material from a barge on the Charles River to two trucks with trailers on Memorial Drive. Some noise is anticipated.

Ames Street

  • Overnight, Friday and Saturday, September 23 and 24, Ames Street between Main Street and Memorial Drive will close temporarily to allow the transport of the oversized loads.

Hayward Street

  • Only construction vehicles and those going to the E40 loading dock are allowed to enter Hayward Street from Amherst Street. 

Amherst Street 

  • The medical lot is open to MIT medical patients with pedestrian access along Amherst Street and to Carleton Street near the HP spaces.
  • Overnight, Friday and Saturday, September 23 and 24, Amherst Street between Main Street and Memorial Drive will close temporarily to allow the transport of the oversized loads. Overnight parking will not be allowed. The street will reopen by 7 am Saturday morning.

Carleton Street

  • Weekend closure of Carleton Street: September 22 – September 26.  Beginning Thursday morning, September 22, a large crane is scheduled to be delivered and assembled on Carleton Street in East Campus to construct the two-part canopy of the new MBTA headhouse in Kendall Square. During this work, Carleton Street will be closed to vehicular traffic, except for ambulance services and medical drop-off. Charlotte’s Way and Dock Street will be closed to through traffic. Disassembly and removal of the crane is anticipated to be complete by 5 pm on Monday, September 26.
  • Twenty-four columns will continue to be installed in preparation for the installation of a steel canopy over the MBTA’s new headhouses the weekend of September 24 and 25. (C1)
  • Trucks and construction equipment will access the MBTA headhouse site. Concrete placements and demolition continues and cranes are on site.
  • The walkways to Dock and Main Streets and the MBTA Red Line station are open. Directional signage is in place.
  • Through access to Dock Street via Charlotte’s Way is open.

General Construction Update

Site 1: 165 Main Street

  • Move-ins are underway.
  • Triangle Park construction continues and is scheduled to be complete at the end of the summer.
  • Line striping is complete on Broad Canal Way between Third and Main Streets.

Site 2:

  • A hoist for E55 demolition has been installed on the south facade and may be operational from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm. It is lowered accordingly with the building height.
  • Structural demolition of Eastgate is on Level 12-10.

Site 3: 238 Main Street

  • Fit-outs are underway inside the tower and 238 Main Street.
  • Most material deliveries continue to the underground loading dock in and out of Main Street at Hayward Street

Site 4:  Grad Tower, 45 Hayward Street, and 292 Main Street

  • All material deliveries to the underground loading dock will continue to come in and out from Main Street.

Site 5: 314 Main Street

  • Most deliveries take place at the underground loading dock.
  • Interior fit out is underway.

Open Space

  • Landscaping punchlist is ongoing.
  • Paver installation within and around the MBTA headhouse site will continue through November 2022.