MassDOT issues update on South Coast Rail in Fall River, New Bedford, Taunton, Middleborough, Lakeville, Freetown, Berkley

MassDOT has issued an update on work taking place concerning South Coast Rail in Fall River, New Bedford, Taunton, Middleborough, Lakeville, Freetown, Berkley, and Assonet showing that completion of Phase 1 is ever closer.

New Bedford: Road and Traffic Signal Work along Church Street and at the Intersection of Church Street and Nash Road

Location of work: Traffic signal and roadway work begins the week of August 14 along Church Street between Tarklin Hill Road and Irvington Street and at the intersection of Church Street and Nash Road in New Bedford

Dates/Hours of Work: Single-lane closures on Church Street and/or Nash Road may be needed on weekdays (with weekend work as necessary), 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM

This work will help to connect South Coast Rail to the community and improve pedestrian and vehicular access around Church Street station. The map below shows the sites for this and upcoming road and sidewalk work.

Detour for Railroad Crossing Work at Richmond Road in Assonet

Location of work: Detour for work at Richmond Road/Route 79 (at Forge Road) railroad grade crossing in Assonet

Dates/Hours of Work: Detour to begin as early as Monday, August 21 (for up to 10 days), 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Richmond Road between Walnut Street and Forge Road in Assonet will be closed during daytime hours. All through traffic will be routed to Forge Road in Assonet. Police details will allow local traffic access only on Richmond Road.

Middleborough, Lakeville, Raynham, Taunton: Extended Hours Track Work along the Middleborough Secondary Line

Location of work: Track work along the Middleborough Secondary Line railroad right-of-way at locations between the new Middleborough Station site and Route 140 in Taunton (includes Middleborough, Lakeville, Raynham, Taunton)

Dates/Hours of Work: Through the summer, there will be extended hours of work, Friday to Sunday, 4:00 AM up to 10:00 PM

Taunton: Traffic Signal and Curb Work on Route 140 (County Street) from Taunton Depot Drive to Mozzone Boulevard

Location of work: Taunton Depot Drive intersection with Route 140 (County Street) and along County Street to Mozzone Boulevard

Dates/Hours of Work: Weekdays (with weekend work as necessary), 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM

Fall River: Road and Traffic Signal Work with Single-lane Closures at the Intersection of President Avenue and North Main Street

Location of work: Traffic signal and roadway work continues at the intersection of President Avenue and North Main Street in Fall River

Dates/Hours of Work: Single-lane closures on President Avenue and/or North Main Street on weekdays (with weekend work as necessary), 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM

New Bedford: Pedestrian Bridge Work

Construction continues for the new pedestrian bridge across Route 18 and Acushnet Avenue connecting to the New Bedford Station.

Location of work: •Purchase Street (between Pearl Street and Willis Street) •Near the MassHire Greater New Bedford Career Center (618 Acushnet Ave)

Dates/Hours of Work: Weekdays, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM

To accommodate the construction of the west side plaza of the bridge, there will be no street parking on the east side of Purchase Street between Pearl Street and Willis Street.

Middleborough: Roadwork and Single-lane Closures on Route 28 (Grove Street)

Location of work: Sidewalk work at the future pedestrian crossing of Route 28 (Grove Street) between the railroad overpasses

Dates/Hours of Work: Possible single-lane closures on Route 28 on weekdays (with weekend work as necessary), 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM

Middleborough, Lakeville, Raynham, Taunton, Freetown, Fall River, and New Bedford: Signal System Installations and Testing

Installations and testing for the railroad signal system for the entire South Coast Rail Phase 1 is ongoing along the railroad right-of-way and at railroad crossings. Please be advised that during this work, signals may be disabled. In those instances, railroad workers known as flaggers will be in place to safely direct train traffic through crossings, and drivers should heed the flaggers’ directions.

The project will also be continuing to run test trains along the South Coast Rail lines to make sure the new signal systems are properly working. Abutters to the railroad may notice the increased train traffic and crossing signal usage.

Fencing Installation: Middleborough, Lakeville, Raynham, Taunton, Freetown, Berkley, and New Bedford

Location of work: •Installation of fencing along the Middleborough Secondary Line railroad right-of-way at locations between Route 140 in Taunton and the new Middleborough Station site (161 South Main Street, Middleborough) •Installation of fencing along the New Bedford Main Line railroad right-of-way at locations between the East Taunton Station site (1141 County Street) in Taunton and the New Bedford Station Site (Acushnet Avenue at Whale’s Tooth Parking Lot) in New Bedford

Dates/Hours of Work: Monday through Sunday, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Berkley: Railroad Access at Mill Street for Signal Work

Residents of Mill Street in Berkley may notice an increase in frequency and volume of traffic as crews performing South Coast Rail signal work will be accessing the railroad right-of-way and work staging area at the end of the street.

Location of work: Access to railroad right-of-way at Mill Street in Berkley

Dates/Hours of Work: Typically, Monday through Friday (with weekend work as necessary), 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Berkley: Railroad Access at Cotley Street

Location of work: Cotley Street in Berkley

Dates/Hours of Work: Please note that the contractor will be using Cotley Street to access the right-of-way for various work activities. This access will be primarily used during the daytime (7:00 AM-7:00 PM) but will also be used 24-hours/day during some activities.

Berkley: Railroad Work at Myricks Street

Location of work: Work in the railroad right-of-way in the area of Myricks Street in Berkley

Dates/Hours of Work: Monday through Sunday, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Please note that although regular daytime construction hours begin at 7:00 AM, abutters may notice crews arriving at the construction sites prior to this time.

Daytime Work on Middleborough Secondary and New Bedford Main Line

Construction is ongoing at station and layover sites and along the railroad right-of-way from Middleborough to New Bedford.

Location of Work: •New Middleborough Station site, 161 South Main Street, Middleborough •East Taunton Station site, 1141 County Street, Taunton •Wamsutta Layover Facility site, 217 Herman Melville Boulevard, New Bedford •Church Street Station site, 387 Church Street, New Bedford •New Bedford Station Site, Acushnet Avenue (at Whale’s Tooth Parking Lot), New Bedford •Middleborough Secondary and New Bedford Main Line right-of-way

Dates/Hours of Work: Monday through Sunday, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Please note that although regular daytime construction hours begin at 7:00 AM, abutters may notice crews arriving at the construction sites prior to this time.

Daytime Work on Fall River Secondary Line

Signal work is ongoing at station and layover sites and along the railroad right-of-way from Berkley to Fall River.

Location of work: •Freetown Station site, 153 South Main Street, Assonet •Weaver’s Cove Layover Facility, 2680 North Main Street, Fall River •Fall River Depot site, 825 Davol Street, Fall River •Fall River Secondary Line railroad right-of-way

Dates/Hours of Work: Monday through Sunday, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Please note that although regular daytime hours begin at 7:00 AM, abutters may notice crews arriving at the sites prior to this time.

Daytime Transportation of Soils

Please note that soils excavated from the railroad right-of-way and roadways during the above work are typically transported during the day by truck to designated project sites.

Dates/Hours of Work: •Regular daytime hours 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Phase 1 of South Coast Rail is still on track to be completed and operational by the end of this year.

If you would like to report a construction-related issue on the South Coast Rail project, please call the hotline at (617) 222-4099.