Westwood Station roadwork underway

by Abigail Davidson, Hometown Weekly staff
August 7, 2008

If you've driven down Route 1 lately, you've probably noticed the large flashing signs announcing roadwork on University Avenue and warning motorists to expect delays. In the eight months since the Planning Board approved the Master Plan Special Permit for the 4.5-million square-foot, mixed-use development, Westwood Station developers Cabot, Cabot & Forbes (CC&F) and New England Development have been busy preparing for the first phase of construction on one of the largest suburban developments in state history by reducing existing structures to rubble to make way for the new infrastructure of Westwood Station.

Current roadwork on University Avenue, which began last week, is, according to Westwood Town Administrator Michael Jaillet, focused on demolition of the remaining four or five buildings that are still standing in the area, as well as preparation for the creation of the new roadways that will make up Westwood Station.

"They're installing the utilities, the sound barrier fence between the (Whitewood Road) neighborhood and the development, working on getting the road grades correct and beginning to install the relocated road system," explained Jaillet. "They're (about) 70 percent done on the removal of buildings, they still have four or five left to go, and as far as installing the road system, they're hoping to have segments done, or at least have the base installed, this fall."

As part of the development's green initiative, 75 percent of all the materials resulting from the demolition of existing buildings are being crushed and reused in the new roadways. In addition to widening existing roads (such as the commercial section of Canton Street at its intersection with University Avenue to allow for greater traffic flow) and discontinuing other roads like NSTAR Way, developers are also planning to construct an extension to Blue Hill Drive that will pass over the parcel of land CC&F purchased for the construction of Westwood Station.

Blue Hill Drive Extension has been designed to help keep Westwood Station traffic off of Whitewood Road and out of surrounding neighborhoods. As an added precaution, developers are currently installing a sound barrier that will run along the edge of the property that abuts Whitewood Road, as well as across some town-owned land. The barrier will serve a dual purpose: to prevent the racket of construction and noises from the development once it has been opened from disturbing neighboring residents and to block access to the development from the surrounding neighborhoods.

Roadwork is also centered on the creation of Westwood Station Boulevard, a new thoroughfare that will run through the heart of the project and serve as the development's main drag. The Boulevard will connect the development with the surrounding area by meeting up with several existing roads, in particular Canton Street. As for the construction of the buildings that will make up Westwood Station after Phase 1 of construction, under which current plans call for the creation of 1.35 million square-feet of retail space, two hotels, an office building and 500 residential units, Jaillet explains that CC&F has begun submitting applications for building permits and he believes construction could begin as early as this fall.

"The first phase of construction has been broken into two halves; 1A is the half nearest the train station, for which the developer has received approval from the Planning Board and is now submitting applications for one of the buildings, which I think is a retail/ residential one, and for one of the parking garages for that building. The hope is to continue to submit these building permit applications with the hope that this fall they will begin vertical construction on these buildings," said Jaillet. "The second half of the (first phase of the) project, 1B, is currently in the permitting process with the Planning Board right now and the developer is very hopeful that this process will be concluded sometime in the early fall."