Waltham council presses National Grid for traffic, staging and permit details on Felton Street gas-main replacement

National Grid asked the Waltham City Council on Oct. 14 for permission to replace roughly 750 feet of aging 12-inch cast-iron gas main in the Felton Street neighborhood, listing Felton, Water, Fountain, Charles, William, Harvard, Browns Avenue, Fern and Sun streets among the locations affected.

The request set off detailed questioning from councilors about timing, permits, sidewalk repairs and where equipment would be staged. Mary Mulroney, the National Grid representative, said the work is a replacement of existing main — not new service — and estimated the full project “3 months plus,” dependent on weather and coordination with Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) work scheduled for next September. “It’s replacing the main,” Mulroney said.

Councilors repeatedly sought specifics. Councilor Robert G. Logan emphasized the council’s expectation that any disturbed concrete sidewalks be replaced in-kind and that entire sidewalk panels — not patches — be removed and replaced. He also asked for a traffic mitigation plan before approving the petition and raised concern that work at the Felton/Browns intersection could encroach on recently paved roadway and therefore trigger the city’s 17-25 street-opening permit requirements. Mulroney said the MWRA-related permit is under review and that she would request the additional documents councilors asked for.

A nearby resident, Maria Santiago of 126 Charles Street, asked how much of William Street would be dug up and said she works from home and could be affected by construction noise. Mulroney said the contractor typically notifies residents ahead of service work and coordinates scheduling to relight pilots and restore service.

Logan also raised staging and overnight storage concerns, citing problems on a prior Hall Street project where generators, pipes and equipment were left on the street. National Grid said supervisors and town engineers usually coordinate staging locations; councilors asked that firm plans for staging and equipment storage be provided to committee.

After the public hearing, the council approved two formal requests from Councilor Logan: that the public works director further review the grant-of-location to determine whether work at Felton and Browns will require a 17-25 permit and report back to the committee by Oct. 20, 2025; and that the city solicitor attend the License & Franchise Committee meeting on Oct. 20 to clarify the council’s authority to issue grants of location when work is partially on a private way (e.g., Fern Street). Both requests passed by voice vote.

The council did not vote to grant final approval on the full petition during the Oct. 14 meeting; the matter was moved to committee for follow-up with the information the council requested. The License & Franchise Committee is scheduled to meet on Oct. 20, 2025.

What’s next: National Grid will provide requested materials — including MWRA-permit status, a traffic-mitigation plan, and staging details — and the public works director and city solicitor were asked to provide clarifying information at the committee meeting scheduled for Oct. 20.