Water Main Replacement on Parts of Lowell Street, North Street & Summer Street

About the Projects

Map showing Lowell and North StreetsThere are two concurrent water main projects in the area of Lowell Street (see Map showing Lowell and North Streets):

  • A Town of Burlington project in Lexington, extending from the intersection of Adams Street and North Street, along North Street to Lowell Street, and down Lowell Street to the intersection of Maple Street
  • A Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) project extending from the intersection of Maple Street and Lowell Street, down Lowell Street to Summer Street, and down Summer Street to Reed Street in Arlington.

These two projects will allow Burlington to more fully connect to the MWRA system. They will also benefit Lexington by replacing water mains at a greatly reduced cost to the Town, with improved water quality and reliability.

Burlington / Lexington Project

The Town of Burlington is leading a project in Lexington to have water mains replaced:

  • along Lowell Street from Maple Street to North Street
  • on North Street from Lowell Street to Adams Street

This work will include new water service connections to each home at the curb property line. Temporary water connections using above ground pipes will be required for some homes. There may be service interruptions and scheduled shutoffs will be communicated to residents directly from the Town of Burlington. 

Construction began in mid-April 2022 and will continue through two construction seasons. Final roadway  paving will occur in 2024.

  • Contractor: GVC Construction, Inc.
  • Engineering Consultant: Wright-Pierce

Construction Update (Updated May 2023)

Crews from GVC will be repaving patches on Lowell Street near Harrington School through Friday, May 26th. This work is to repair sunken trenches and is only a temporary road restoration. The road will be paved in 2024 when the water main contracts are complete.

  • Week of 5/22 GVC will be continuing to install temporary water mains between Fulton Street and East Street.
  • Week of 5/30 GVC will begin installation of temporary water services to homes between Fulton Street and East Street.  Notices have sent to all homeowners that will require temporary water services.  The Contractor will coordinate with each homeowner in advance of making temporary connections to their homes. 

 Once homes are connected to the temporary water main, GVC will begin excavation and construction of the 24” water main in Lowell Street between Fulton Street and East Street. 

Anticipated Detours

Construction Hours

Construction will only occur Monday through Thursday (usually) from 7 am to 5 pm. During weeks with a holiday or inclement weather, construction activities may push into Friday.  

Traffic Detours

Traffic along Lowell Street and access to homes will be maintained, but please expect delays. Work may occasionally require detours. Traffic signage will be set up to provide directions to drivers and pedestrians on how to navigate around construction. 

Contact Information

If you have any questions, please contact Wright-Pierce, the Towns' Engineering consultant for this project:

  • Matt Messier 617-733-2961

MWRA Project

The MWRA's Contractor, Albanese D&S, will be installing two water pipelines between the intersection of Summer St. and Reed St. (in Arlington) up to the intersection of Lowell St and Maple St and involves two separate phases. Construction will continue for approximately two years. This work is an MWRA-controlled project, all on State roads.

The second construction phase involves the MWRA and contractor Albanese D&S Inc. replacing the Town of Lexington’s local water main. 

  • Contractor: Albanese D & S
  • Engineering Consultant: Black and Veatch

Construction Update (May 2023)

Construction activity along Summer Street, Lowell Street, and Maple Street has begun. The water main bypass pipe is currently being installed and the transfer of services from the existing water main to the bypass will be starting Monday, May 1. Water main replacement work is set to begin on Wednesday, May 3. Albanese D&S (ADS) has begun the replacement of the Summer Street Water Main between Lowell and Haskell Streets.  During this phase of construction, which is expected to extend to the end of June, Summer Street will remain closed between Lowell and Haskell Streets extending to Evergreen Lane, with exceptions for local residences, emergency vehicles and school buses.  See map for probable detour (pdf) 

Following the Memorial Day Weekend, ADS will be transitioning onto Lowell Street where water main replacement will begin at the Summer Street intersection, progressing northerly towards Maple Street.  Trench excavation along the northbound lane will restrict Lowell Street to one-lane.  Initially, one lane, alternating two-way traffic will be maintained around construction.  Lexington Police will commit two detail officers with an additional ADS flagger for traffic management.

Construction Hours

Hours of operation will be from 7 am to 5 pm. Monday through Friday and some Saturday work. Local police details will be in place during construction work to safely move pedestrians and vehicular traffic around each work site.

Traffic Detours

As with the Town of Burlington work, access to homes will be maintained, but with traffic will be slow in work zones.  Through traffic will have access on this section Lowell St but truck traffic may be detoured down Maple Street to Mass Ave towards Arlington. Traffic signage will be set up to provide directions to drivers.

Contact Information

For information regarding this project, please contact: