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Harvard Square Kiosk and Plaza

In 2017, the City established a Harvard Square Kiosk and Plaza Working Group, composed of residents, business and property owners, representatives from local institutions, and urban design experts, to create a vision for the future use, operation, and governance of the Harvard Square Kiosk and Plaza.

The Working Group envisions the Harvard Square Kiosk and Plaza to be flexible, dynamic, and welcoming community assets that enhance the everyday life of Harvard Square, act as platforms for community gatherings, including civic, artistic, and social activities, and attract and serve a broad range of people, including residents, students, visitors, etc.

The interior of the Kiosk would function as a flexible space accommodating permanent and temporary community uses. Permanent uses would feature a Visitor Information Center with displays focused on Cambridge history and happenings and the provision of news, brochures, and other materials. Temporary uses would occupy a portion of the interior space intermittently during the span of a typical week, including informal public seating for gatherings. The Plaza would also accommodate a range of temporary programming serving the community. During periods of both temporary and regular use, the interior space would, in addition to acting as a space for relaxing, sitting, reading, meeting, etc., address in part key themes identified by Kiosk Working Group members and other participants in the public process, namely: local history, news, information about local events and services, and visitor information functions.

This project will be constructed in two phase: The Historic Out of Town News Kiosk Reconstruction and the Plaza Reconstruction. 

For more details about the community process of this project, including the Working Group Final Report, please visit: www.cambridgema.gov/harvardsquarekiosk

 

Construction Notice: Harvard Square Plaza Reconstruction Next Phase of Work to begin week of November 18

 

The City’s contractor, Newport Construction, will wrap up the first phase of construction at Mass Ave and Dunster Street this week, weather permitting. All work will be contained within work site fencing.

 

Dunster Street is anticipated to reopen to vehicular traffic on Tuesday, November 19.


The next phase of the project is expected to begin on Wednesday, November 20th with an anticipated duration of 11 weeks. This phase will include:

  • Installation of a trench drain along the south side of the MBTA headhouse for improved drainage.
  • Accessible sidewalk restoration (between Dunster St. and JFK St, in front of the businesses).
  • Building ADA compliant accessible pedestrian ramps for access.

What to Expect During Construction:

  • General work hours are 7 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Friday. There will be intermittent off-hours
    work as needed. The contractor has obtained a noise variance from the License Commission and
    these hours will be updated on the project page.
  • Please check posted No Parking signs.
  • Access to businesses will be maintained during construction including those utilizing food delivery
    services such as Uber Eats.
  • "Business Open During Construction" signage will be installed to support local merchants.
  • A portion of JFK Street will be closed during this phase of work. Detours will be in place.
  • Please see the map on the back side of this notice.
  • Electronic message boards will be placed prior to work beginning.

All construction-related updates and impacts will be posted on the Harvard Square Plaza project page www.cambridgema.gov/departments/publicworks/cityprojects/2021/harvardsquarekioskandplaza. If you would like to receive email updates, please sign up under the Contact Tab on the project page.

 

For Information and Assistance During Construction:
Questions regarding this project: Contact Linda Spencer, Project Administrator-Community Relations at 617-349-9734/ lspencer@cambridgema.gov or Melissa Miguel, Supervising Engineer at 617-349-9351/ mmiguel@cambridgema.gov. If you have any special needs or disabilities, please contact us to arrange for special accommodation that may be necessary.

 

In case of a construction emergency, please call the Cambridge Public Works Department 24-hour hotline at 617-349-4800.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we work to improve Harvard Square Plaza. To view the full flyer click here!

 

Detours for Harvard Square

 


November 2024:

 

Week of November 4:  Install granite curb, temporary paving (within fenced in construction area)

 

Week of November 11 (No work on Monday, November 11, Veterans Day):  Base paving, markings (withing fenced in construction area), anticipated reopening of Dunster Street

 


October 2024:

 

Week of October 7:  Removal of existing curb, install drainage 

 

Week of October 14 (No work on Monday, October 14, Indigenous Peoples' Day): Water tap

 

Week of October 21:  Install drainage

 

Week of October 27:  Install drainage, full-depth (within fenced in construction area)

 


September 2024:

 

Week of September 23:  Demolition of Information Booth

 

Week of September 30:  Dunster Street closure, Removal of existing brick sidewalk and granite band

 


Construction Notice: Harvard Square Plaza Reconstruction Project 

 

The City of Cambridge is pleased to announce that, after extensive coordination, Newport Construction will begin the reconstruction of the Harvard Square Plaza. This project will enhance the functionality and vibrancy of the plaza, benefiting the entire community.

 

The project is expected to take 24 months to complete and will be carried out in phases. This estimated project duration is provided here with the understanding that unforeseen conditions, and extreme weather events, may extend the project timeline. The individual limits of each phase have been strategically laid out to minimize disruptions and maintain the operations of local businesses, the MBTA, and the many facets of traffic in the square.

 

The kickoff to the construction will begin the week of September 23 with the demolition of the Information Booth, followed by the set up for the temporary Dunster Street Closure on September 27th. Crews will begin work on Dunster Street Monday, September 30. This phase of the overall project is expected to take 6-8 weeks and will include:

  • Connecting Plaza drainage lateral to the existing drainage structure in the crosswalk on Dunster Street.
  • Reconstruct EXISTING crosswalk: excavate and remove existing crosswalk, reset curbing, install paver base and pavers.
  • Pave the approach ramps to the raised crosswalk.

What to Expect During Construction:

  • General work hours 7 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
  • Please check posted No Parking signs.
  • Removal of posted No Parking signs can add extensive time to the contract.
  • Access to all properties will be maintained throughout the project.
  • Businesses, including delivery services like Uber Eats, will have uninterrupted access.
  • Traffic management plans will be in place to ensure minimal disruption to traffic flow.
  • "Business Open During Construction" signage will be installed to support local merchants.
  • DETOURS will be in place. Please see the DETOUR route below.

Map of Dunster St Detour Route

 

All construction-related updates and impacts will be posted here: Harvard Square Plaza Construction Updates. If you would like to receive email updates, please sign up under the Contact Tab on the Project Page.

 

For more information about the design and community planning process for the plaza, visit: Harvard Square Public Space.

 

For Information and Assistance During Construction:


Questions regarding this project: Contact Linda Spencer, Project Administrator-Community Relations at 617-349-9734/ lspencer@cambridgema.gov or Melissa Miguel, Supervising Engineer at 617-349-9351/ mmiguel@cambridgema.gov. If you have any special needs or disabilities, please contact us to arrange for special accommodation that may be necessary. Interested parties are encouraged to direct all questions to these contacts. The crews on site are typically there for specific tasks and are only able to answer questions for the specific task they are on-site to perform.


Please join the City and the Contractor Team to ask questions related to the Harvard Square Plaza Reconstruction Project on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, 9-10 a.m. at 1350 Mass Ave., 2nd floor of the Welcome Pavilion (upstairs from Pavement Coffee). Accessible via elevators or stairs.


Harvard Square Plaza Reconstruction Project “Coffee Talk” Session

 

Residents and business owners and their employees are invited to stop by a Coffee Talk to meet with City staff and contractors to ask questions related to the Harvard Square Plaza Reconstruction Project.

Wednesday, September 25, 2024, 9:00 a.m - 10:00 a.m 1350 Mass Ave, 2nd floor of the Welcome Pavilion (upstairs from Pavement Coffee) Accessible via elevators or stairs. Please view full flyer here.

Coffee Talk for Harvard Square Plaza Reconstruction


October 2023

Plantings, punch list items.


June 2023

Interior work continues. 


May 2023

Copper installation, and limestone cleaning. 


April 2023

Interior Work continues. 


November 2022

Masonry work, utility work, and framing. 


October 2022

Begin copper installation and interior plumbing and painting work. 


September 2022

Beginning the next phase of roof work and continuing masonry work on the headhouse.


August 2022

Continuing electrical work and waterproofing for the foundation. 


July 2022

Crews are excavating for waterproofing work and continuing electrical work. 


June 2022

Crews are prepping to begin removing the existing roof and installing new roof.  


May 2022

The City's contractor, Wes Construction, will be remobilizing the week of May 3. Crews will be performing masonry work, painting, and placement of structural steel.  


March 2022

Wes Construction anticipates remobilizing on site in April and completing the Kiosk project in November 2022. 

The plaza project bid is opening on 3/10/2022 at 2PM at City Hall, Purchasing Department. It is expected that a contractor will be on board in Spring 2022 and work beginning a few weeks later. 

The Community Development Department is working of an RFP for an operator for the Kiosk and expecting to have one onboard by early summer 2022. If you have questions about Kiosk operations, you can contact Melissa Peters, mpeters@cambridgema.gov.


June 2021

Over the next several weeks, the City's contractor, WES construction, will be performing demolition activities at the site. 


The City's contractor, WES Construction, will be mobilizing in the area of the Kiosk beginning Wednesday, May 19th. 


May 2021

The latest newsletter is now available


April 2021

The Out of Town News Kiosk Renovation contract has been awarded to WES Construction Corp. A detailed construction schedule will be available soon. 

Harvard Square Kiosk: Anticipated completion Fall 2024

Harvard Square Plaza: Anticipated construction start - Fall 2024, with a Summer 2026 completion


Once the contractor has provided a schedule, a detailed timeline will be made available. 

 

For information about the community process for this project, including the complete Working Group Final Report, please visit www.cambridgema.gov/harvardsquarekiosk

Kristen Kelleher

Community Relations Manager

617-349-4825

kkelleher@cambridgema.gov

 

Melissa Miguel

Supervising Engineer

617-349-9351

mmiguel@cambridgema.gov

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Page was posted on 4/13/2021 10:14 AM
Page was last modified on 11/12/2024 4:24 PM
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