Neighbors on Woodhaven and Culbert streets in Mattapan are pressing for relief from city officials this week as a pair of construction projects are disrupting daily life on the side streets between Blue Hill Avenue and Cummins Highway.
On the Blue Hill Avenue side, work on a 41-unit apartment complex has begun and is prompting daytime street closures. On the Cummins Highway end, a public works project to improve the roadway often blocks access from the west side of the neighborhood. An added factor is a smaller building project in the works in the middle of Woodhaven Street, which increases the congestion and noise.
The result, say frustrated residents, is an impasse.
Woodhaven Street has been closed off at Cummins Highway due to the reconstruction there, which has about another year left of work. The situation has left the street inaccessible on both ends. Seth Daniel photo
“It’s outrageous,” said Culbert Street’s David Venter. “I saw a school bus today that couldn’t get through the street and had to back up onto Blue Hill Avenue. I don’t think people in charge are taking this seriously.”
He added, “We went to the meetings and they said what they would do during construction and they do the exact opposite – like workers parking on our dead-end street. There’s no accountability.”
Another neighbor, Ingrid Trench, said construction starts daily at 7 a.m. and work trucks often block her way.
“It’s like a total invasion,” said Trench. “I’m still trying to come to grips with it. The entire feel of the neighborhood I’ve lived in for 45 years has changed… You get to where you believe the city doesn’t care because if they did, they wouldn’t do this to us.”
The 41-unit development at the corner of 1471 Blue Hill Avenue, led by Lincoln Avenue Capital of California, will include retail space, 12 parking spots, and rise 5 stories from the street. The project, approved by the Boston Planning Dept. in December 2024, will also involve blasting to clear out ledge on the site.
City officials said the building permit has been granted by Inspectional Services Department (ISD), and work on the site now only involves soil testing. The general contractor for the project was asked for comment for this story, but didn’t respond to emails this week.
Off Cummins Highway, a roadway reconstruction ongoing since 2024 has brought the other set of frustrations. The street is stripped down to dirt in some places, with stop signs on every block, zany detours and closed streets daily. Woodhaven is one of the closed streets right now, and it adds to the stresses of the closures by Blue Hill Avenue.
All of which leaves neighbors feeling boxed in, knowing the situation isn’t going to change soon.
“It feels like the wild, wild west,” said Venter. “They just close streets and tell people to go around. We have landscapers, house cleaners, and other folks like that who can’t get here. We have a life too.”
