Eversource plans to break ground next week on a multiyear underground distribution project stretching from Chestnut Street to Highland Avenue. The 3.3-mile project, laid out during a virtual information session June 5, is a key part of a much larger project led by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.
The MWRA project, which includes digging 15 miles of deep-rock tunnels underground, will add long-overdue redundancy to the region’s drinking water system. Digging the water tunnels will require high-voltage power to run massive boring machines, and Eversource’s upgrades in Needham this summer are designed to meet those demands.
Construction will begin on Webster Street near Hoover Road and proceed toward Highland Avenue and then toward Route 128. Crews aim to complete 25 feet to 50 feet of excavation per day, with trench work restored and repaved by the end of each day’s shift. The job includes 18 new manholes and more than 8,000 feet of underground conduit.
Work is expected to start as early as Monday, June 23 and continue through early 2028. Additional work will take place along Fair Oaks Park, Park Street and Highland Avenue later in the project. Officials say the Webster Street segment should be wrapped before students return in September.
Traffic disruptions are expected. Most of Webster Street will be reduced to one alternating lane, with police details managing flow. A two-block stretch of Grant Street, between School and Junction streets, will be closed to through traffic but remain open to residents and emergency vehicles.
“At no point is anyone ever going to be blocked in their driveway,” said Matt Veins, the project’s construction manager. “We try to minimize the disruption to everybody’s day-to-day activity.”
At the information session residents raised concerns about drainage problems on Grant Street. Town officials acknowledged the issue, and Veins said Eversource would assist the Department of Public Works with excavation and traffic control during the road closure if the town chooses to address it.
The electrical upgrades in Needham will support the MWRA tunnel boring operations around the clock when they begin in 2028. Twin launch shafts will be dug in the cloverleaf where Route 128 meets Highland Avenue, and boring machines will operate from there — one headed northwest toward Weston, the other east toward Mattapan. Though the tunnel will run between 200 and 500 feet below ground, Needham residents will see activity at the surface, including controlled blasting and up to 150 truck trips a day hauling excavated rock to the highway.
When construction on both projects are complete, most of the infrastructure will be underground. Eversource says all disturbed areas, including those previously paved, will be fully restored once the work is complete. But residents will benefit from a more robust power grid and a new MWRA water connection that provides much-needed backup in case of pipe failure, something the town currently lacks.
“Needham is going to get some upgraded infrastructure that will be helpful long term,” said Ian Kea, project outreach lead. Eversource encourages residents to sign up for email updates, view progress through an interactive online map, and reach out to a dedicated hotline with questions. Residents can contact the project team directly by calling 1-833-836-0302 or emailing ProjectInfoMA@Eversource.com. Additional resources, including an FAQ based on the June 5 meeting, are available on the project website.
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