Burlington Awarded $1 Million Grant for Road Improvements

Burlington has been awarded a $1 million grant from the state for roadwork improvements on Middlesex Turnpike.

According to a release from Gov. Deval Patrick's office, the MassWorks grant will be used to support roadway improvements to Middlesex Turnpike, Second Avenue and South Avenue to support the consolidation of Keurig Company’s current Massachusetts workforce to its new site.

According to the Patrick-Murray Administration a total of $38 million for 26 new MassWorks Infrastructure Program grants were announced to support economic development and housing creation throughout the Commonwealth. "Through these grants, the Patrick-Murray Administration will partner with cities and towns to make targeted investments in infrastructure such as roadways, streetscapes, water, and sewer to facilitate and support new and sustained housing and economic growth throughout Massachusetts," the release states. "The MassWorks Program infrastructure investments are targeted to projects that require the infrastructure upgrades or expansion in order for new growth to take place." 

“The MassWorks program is a key part of our growth strategy of investing in education, innovation and infrastructure to create jobs and spur economic development,” said Gov. Patrick. “By partnering with municipalities, these MassWorks projects will strengthen communities for generations to come.”

Burlington Project

According to Burlington's Department of Public Works Superintendent John Sanchez, the full plan of the roadwork to be done in Burlington is still being formed. He said the department and engineers will work on the basics of the plan within the next month and then spend the winter doing the detailed engineering plan.

Sanchez said roadwork should begin in late spring of 2013.

The main purpose of the improvement, Sanchez said, is to mitigate the extra traffic that the new Keurig headquarters will bring to the area.

"The goal is to mitigate the addition traffic that the Middlesex Turnpike and Route 128 intersection will see once the Keurig project is completed and people start to go to work there," he said.

Sanchez added that the work must be completed "quickly" because Keurig will also be working on finalizing their new headquarters and because the purpose of MassWorks grants is to stimulate business in the Commonwealth.

The new Keurig campus will be located in the area of 63 South Avenue. The relocation from the Company’s three existing Massachusetts facilities in Reading, Wakefield and Woburn is anticipated to take place in phases over the next several years.

Sanchez said that though the plan has not been finalized, it is expected the project will tackle the Middlesex Turnpike and Route 129 North intersection. This could possibly include widening the road from the Lexington direction to three lanes with a turn onto Willard Road. 

The work is expected to also include revisions at the Middlesex Turnpike and South Avenue intersection.

Burlington received two MassWorks grants for work at NorthWest Park and 3rd and 4th Avenues. The two totaled $3.5 million in funds and the work in those areas is well underway and mostly completed.

"I have to give kudos to my team," Sanchez said. "They have completed the work from the first two MassGrants each within about a year. We'll have to do the same for this project."