Woburn to Wakefield Line Project

Please note date changes below.

As you know all underground construction for the Woburn to Wakefield Line Project in Wakefield is complete. Again, we thank you for your cooperation and patience as we completed this important work.

Our next step is to install the new cables. Please note that there is no excavation expected to be involved during the cable installation process. Our current schedule is as follows:

  • 12/7 to 12/10: Cable installation from Montrose Avenue to Salem Street (near Chapman Road)
  • 12/12 to 12/15: Cable installation from Salem Street (near Chapman Road) to Salem Street (near Tyler Lane)
  • 1/4 to 1/10: Cable installation from Salem Street (near Tyler Lane) to Salem Street (near Patriots Circle)
  • 1/11 to 1/14: Cable installation from MBTA Right-of- Way (near Salem Street) to MBTA Right-of-Way (near New Salem Street)
  • 1/16 to 11/19: Cable installation from Salem Street (near Patriots Circle) to MBTA Right-of-Way (near Salem Street)
 
After cable installation is complete in January 2023, you can expect to see intermittent work taking place at manhole locations along the route, as construction work to splice the new cables together. This is the last step prior to energizing the new cables. 
 

Please continue to exercise caution when approaching these active work areas to minimize risks to personal safety, and to avoid any interference with construction. The cable installation schedule is as follows: Monday through Saturday from 7:00AM to 7:00 PM. 

As a friendly reminder, as part of the agreement between National Grid and the Town of Wakefield, National Grid has committed to funding curb-to-curb restoration of the project route. The Wakefield DPW has agreed to take over responsibility of the restoration and management schedule. We kindly ask drivers and those on foot to exercise caution when approaching these active work areas to minimize risks to personal safety, and to avoid any interference with construction.

Please know that we remain committed to prioritizing public health as well as the health of employees and contractors. National Grid has taken several steps to modify our business practices and daily operations to protect the communities in which we work. We have enacted additional policies and guidelines for our field and office personnel that are in line with the Commonwealth’s Guidelines and Procedures for construction as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines

For more information about National Grid’s response to COVID-19, please visit: ngrid.com/covid-19.

As always, if you have questions about any of our current or upcoming work, please feel free to contact a member of our project outreach team by emailing us at info@ma-nhsolution.com, or by calling our project hotline 1-844-646-8427.

*Please note, due to the complexities of outdoor construction, schedule is subject to change

Project Overview

WCAT, National Grid Cable Project in Wakefield – Construction in September 2019

Project Need, Benefits, and Route Information

Construction Process Information

Wakefield Project Fact Sheet.

Typical construction equipment involved in underground construction of this nature include, but are not limited to: excavators, dump trucks; crew cab pick up trucks; vacuum trucks; and portable generators. 

A strong electrical transmission system is vital to our region’s safety and economic prosperity. To improve reliability and address growing electricity demands identified by ISO-NE, National Grid and Eversource have teamed up to implement the Greater Boston and New Hampshire Solution, comprised of various projects in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

One of the proposed projects is the Woburn to Wakefield Line, a new 345-kilovolt (kV) underground transmission line that will connect Eversource’s Woburn Substation in Woburn and National Grid’s Wakefield Junction Substation in Wakefield. The proposed line will extend approximately 8.5 miles between two existing substations, passing through Woburn, Winchester, Stoneham, and Wakefield, MA. The project also includes improvements within the existing fence lines of the Woburn and Wakefield Substations.

Eversource will be constructing the new line from the Woburn substation through Woburn, Winchester and Stoneham. National Grid will complete construction from the Stoneham/Wakefield border to the Wakefield Junction Substation.

For more information specific to the Towns of Woburn, Winchester, and Stoneham, please visit Eversource’s Project web page, click here. 

For a full listing of past events and public outreach, click here.

For answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the Woburn to Wakefield line, click here. 

For Traffic Management Plans Part A, click here.

For Traffic Management Plans Part B, click here.

Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board Filings

To view the MA EFSB’s file room docket for this proceeding, please click HERE and enter “EFSB15-04” in the “Docket Number” box at the top left of the page. You can also find links to each of the individual filing documents by clicking HERE.  

Route Selection Criteria and Scoring 

To view route selection criteria and scoring information, please click HERE. 

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Woburn to Wakefield Line

Helpful Links

Frequently Asked Questions
National Grid Website
Eversource Website

Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities Website