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Committee refers multi‑street closures for Whaling Museum demolition and rebuild to full council
Summary
Consigli Construction presented an 18‑month demolition and reconstruction plan in downtown New Bedford; the committee received obstruction/closure paperwork for sections of William, North Water and Bethel streets and referred the requests to the full City Council with a favorable recommendation.
The committee received and referred to the full City Council on June 17 street obstruction and closure requests tied to the Whaling Museum’s planned demolition and reconstruction at 11 William Street.
Consigli Construction and consulting firm CSL presented a plan calling for temporary full or partial closure of William Street (Bethel to North Water), a portion of North Water Street (southbound lane and west sidewalk), and a portion of Bethel Street (northbound parking and east sidewalk). The proposed work window for the project starts June 30, 2025, and the applications list end dates in late 2026; CSL and the contractor described the schedule as approximately an 18‑month project during which demolition and reconstruction will occur in phases.
Why it matters: Contractors said the closures are needed to establish a secure work perimeter, safely demolish the existing single‑story structure and construct a new two‑story museum annex. Project leaders said they will maintain pedestrian access on the south sidewalk of William Street throughout the closures and will leave one lane of travel on North Water Street by shifting traffic and using Jersey barriers and temporary parking lane conversions.
Key details: Demolition and hazardous material abatement are expected to take about one month, with the full construction phase lasting a little over a year. Typical work hours will be standard construction hours (7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday–Friday) though limited weekend or night work may be necessary under permits and noise restrictions. The team said it would provide wayfinding and “businesses open” signage and coordinate with downtown businesses and the school to preserve parking and bus access. The contractor provided construction phasing documents and said it has delivered copies to the clerk’s office for councilors to review.
Committee action: The committee received and placed the obstruction petitions on file and voted to refer the requests (items 8, 9 and 10 on the agenda) to the full City Council for a favorable recommendation.
Next steps: The obstruction/closure requests will be considered by the full City Council. The contractor and city staff said they will continue outreach to adjacent businesses and the Whaling Museum’s neighbors and will submit formal traffic management and obstruction permits to the city’s permitting offices.
