Wellesley prepares to remove the “brick” crosswalks on Washington and Church Streets
The Wellesley Department of Public Works, at the request of the Select Board, plans to remove the “brick” crosswalks at the intersection of Washington and Church Streets early next month. The crosswalks will be replaced with a paved surface and later a new design will be added and tested, as discussed last spring.
The current zebra crossings are in poor condition and the noise of vehicles bumping across the intersection disturbs local residents.
The “bricks” of the zebra crossing are actually concrete pavers, says Elizabeth Gildae, head of the highway department. “These will be disposed of with other construction waste at the highway yard and crushed to provide fill material for other work.”
Gildae’s team is trying to educate the public about the upcoming project, which is expected to begin in the first week of September, possibly on September 3. She acknowledges that this project is not easy and will be disruptive in terms of noise, detours, temporary loss of parking spaces and metal panels. “Our plan is to divide each crosswalk into thirds or quarters so that two lanes can pass through during construction. We will work closely with the police to manage traffic. The work will take 3-4 weeks,” Gildae said.
No night work is planned unless an emergency requires it. Saturday work is likely.
The DPW and the police met on Monday to clarify details.
