National Grid workers excavated old cast-iron gas main in Codman Square last month.
Seth Daniel photos
Merchants in a newly formed group in Codman Square say that while they are trying to beautify the shopping district, they are running head-on into heavy street construction that seems endless.
Excavations involving multiple utility companies that began in 2024 on Washington Street during business hours is planned to extend through 2027 in the vicinity of the business corridor from Park Street to Talbot Avenue.
During a push to organize the merchants this summer, and kick off a revitalized merchants group in Codman Square early next year, Mike Dockery, the owner of Summit Electronics, noted that heavy construction by National Grid and Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC) has frustrated business and beautification efforts over the past several years.
Mike Dockery, who owns Summit Electronics, is the leader of the revived merchant’s association in Codman Square. He said years-long excavations of Washington Street for utility upgrades has made the business environment more difficult than it already is.
Many times, businesses have reported losing parking in front of their stores for weeks at a time with little notice.
“It is an issue for merchants, and I know projects have to happen and pipes have to be changed, but we also have to figure out a way to make everyone happy and help businesses succeed while it’s going on,” Dockery said in a recent interview.
“My first goal for the merchants group is to beautify and with the middle of the street being torn up and metal grates all over for so long, it’s hard to make things beautiful…Everyone has been affected by it and I’m trying to find a practical solution.”
The frustration was quantified this year within a business survey done by Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation (CSNDC), with Kenya Samuels and Naldo Cardoso putting together a report that listed ongoing construction as a key barrier to business in Codman.
“There’s always construction here, it seems,” said Samuels. “You might have a few weeks with nothing going on, but they just finished digging up the street and now they are digging up the sidewalks. They do everything at the same time and during the day.”
Added Cardoso, “The main thing businesses said is the lack of parking and how it makes it harder for everyone to come out and stay at their businesses.”
He added that construction over the years has required daytime shutdowns of gas or water, complicating business operations.
Most of the work has been done by BWSC and National Grid, who have to operate in a short window during the day to conform to state and city regulations.
BWSC officials said they began water pipe excavation work in June of 2024, and then sewer pipe excavations in May 2025. That work has been completed after two construction seasons.
National Grid, operating with subcontractor Feeney Brothers, has also been excavating the street this year for a project that replaces all the “aged cast-iron gas mains” on Washington Street between Talbot Avenue and Bowdoin Street in Four Corners.
The first part of that project – installing 12-inch plastic mains in the area between Talbot and Melville Avenues – will be completed next month. The second phase will involve installing the mains from Melville Avenue to Park Street, work that is expected to last through October 2027.
A project connecting additional gas infrastructure under the street will also be running at various times during the work on the mains.
“Our priority will always be safety,” said National Grid spokesperson Christine Milligan. “We have a responsibility to safely and reliably serve our customers who depend on our gas system every day. That means continuing investments like the one we’re making here to replace aging, leak-prone cast-iron pipe. Replacing it with modern, plastic main is the best way to mitigate methane emissions, protect public safety, and ensure reliable gas service to our customers.”
She said an important thing to understand is that there are work permit restrictions that limit the hours they can be on site. They cannot begin work before 9:30 a.m. and have to be off the road by 3:30 p.m., in some places by 2 p.m. While this does limit traffic congestion, it also makes projects like this last longer than one might expect.
Some retailers said they have found it difficult when the work is in front of their places of business, but once it moved on, things recovered.
“To be honest, when they were right in front of my store, it hurt the business a little bit,” said Gonzalo Diaz, of America’s Food Basket Codman Square. “They moved down a little further recently and it doesn’t affect it as much. I was a little worried because they take a long time, but you can see they are trying their best to get things done and aren’t wasting time.”
Said Dr. Shalair Armstrong, of Codman Square Chiropractic, “I don’t think anyone really knows when it will end because it’s one group one day and another the next day. One day it’s National Grid, the next it someone else. We do have parking issues here already, and more importantly a store vacancy issue. There’s a lot going on at the same time.”
Neighbors have also been frustrated with the duration of the project. Cynthia Loesch-Johnson, president of Codman Square Neighborhood Council (CSNC), said they would like to have more dialogue with the utilities about the extent of the project.
