Whittemore Ave neighborhood area and North Parking Lots:
- Road work related to new utility connections from the City street(s) to edge of property has been completed. There is some utility work still to be completed in the driveway at the main construction gate entrance.
- Building 1: Ongoing activities related to interior construction
- Building 2: Continued construction activity
Large white tents #1 and #2 are in the footprint of Building 3 and will be active with soil disturbing activities. Both tents have recently been shifted east. Large white tent #3 has been place in the footprint of Building 4 and will be active with soil disturbing activities. A partial large white tent along with some custom enclosures, known as tent #5, will remain between Buildings 1 and 2 until late April. This tent/enclosure will remain active with soil disturbing activities. Large white tent #4 is currently being erected on the southern part of the development area.
Pile driving activities will take place throughout the site. A pile foundation is defined as a series of steel beams inserted into the ground to transmit loads to a lower level of subsoil. A vibratory hammer is a machine attached to a boom crane, that holds the pile vertical and vibrates it into the ground. Piles are vibrated and pushed into the ground to act as a steady support for structures built on top of them. Piles transfer the loads from structures to hard strata, rocks, or soil with high bearing capacity.
Piles are initially driven using a vibratory hammer. This method typically has less noise and a small vibration footprint. Once piles are driven to the required depth at bedrock, the piles are then finished by mean of impact hammer. A pile impact hammer is a machine that hammers it into the bedrock. Blows are repeated by lifting a heavy weight and dropping it on top of the pile. Piles should be hammered into the ground until the refusal point is reached, which is the point where a pile cannot be driven into the soil any farther. Typically, each pile would receive somewhere between 10 & 20 plows before reaching its refusal point.
Eversource electrical utility work at the end of Harvey St. is expected to take place. Temporary overhead electrical lines and poles will be installed throughout the site for the distribution of construction related electricity.
Modifications and improvements to the public pathways on the west side of the property running from Whittemore Ave down along Parkway Pond to the MBTA Headhouse Plaza area will also continue. DCR recently repaved a majority of the path.
Two generators currently run 24/7 to power the following critical operations. These generators were granted a noise ordinance variance by the City of Cambridge Licensing Commission.
- Fire alarm systems in Building 1 and Building 2
- Provide freeze protection for Building 1 Cambridge Fire Department wall hydrant connection
- Perimeter site security lighting
- Perimeter air and noise monitoring
- Excavation dewatering activities
Other generators run during regular working hours to support a variety of construction activities.