The Alewife

DPW: Walden Street Bridge to open Friday

By Anastasia Pasecinic

The city's DPW told The Alewife the Walden Street Bridge will temporarily re-open for traffic Friday after more than two years of construction work that severed one of the city's major through streets.

During the project's construction residents and commuters have endured an irksome detour scheme compounded by the neighborhood's one way streets, in addition at least three businesses along Walden Street have closed or changed hands.

“We intend to open the bridge on Friday December 19th. The west sidewalk and roadway will be opened on that day,” said Adam Hurtubise, a spokesman for the state's highway department, the lead agency supervising the Walden Street bridge construction project.

The bridge will have to be closed again for NSTAR electric to relocate electric lines from the old bridge, said Owen O’Riordan, the city engineer at public works.

O’Riordan said he expects NSTAR to complete the electrical work by the end of January when the old bridge will be removed.

The sidewalks on southeastern side of the bridge will be completed by spring while the bridge stays open for traffic, he said. “We are still waiting for NSTAR electric to relocate the lines from the old bridge, which is maybe a few weeks away.”

Rebecca Fuentes, the community relations manager at public works, said the Walden Street bridge construction project was budgeted for two years. There was hope that the project would be completed by spring 2008. However, the structural elements of the bridge were completed in the fall, within the two-year limit that was budgeted.

Hurtubise said the bridge was closed for $5 million of construction work in October 2006. The paving of the bridge is now complete, but minor work on the East sidewalk will be finished in the spring. “We anticipate the east sidewalk and ornamental bridge fence will be finished in the spring, completing this project.” In the meantime, a temporary pedestrian bridge will remain open."

The project extends from the Richdale Avenue intersection to approximately 15 feet beyond the King Street intersection. The work includes rehabilitation of the historic brick arch cattle path, he said.

CSO closes season

by Anastasia Pasecinic

The final concert of the season by the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra gathered about 200 people May 20 to North Cambridge’s Cambridge Vineyard Church at 171 Rindge Ave.

The concert featured musical pieces by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and Joan Tower. “We are trying to have diverse musical programs,” said music director of the orchestra Cynthia Woods.

“Tower’s Violin Concerto, performed by Peter Zazofsky, a world class soloist and principal violinist of the Muir String Quartet, was the Boston premiere of the piece,” said Rachel Spiller, the president and one of the founders of the orchestra.