April 28, 2006

New neighbors: Emerson Place construction project progresses

For passersby walking along Blossom Street in front of the MGH Gray and Jackson buildings, the large construction project at Emerson Place has become a curious display. Construction crews are hard at work building two 12-story residential towers, one 16-story residential tower, three townhouses and three stories of an underground parking garage as part of a comprehensive development project managed by a company called Equity Residential.

While the construction project began in January with the demolition of existing structures, the project now is entering a new phase that will be even more noticeable for the MGH community. During the next couple of weeks, the construction crews will begin blasting procedures to remove rock ledges to make way for the underground garage. The MGH has been working closely with the general contractor and environmental consultants hired by Equity Residential to ensure a safe environment is maintained during the entire project and particularly during the blasting phase of construction. Right, an artist's rendering of the new building

"Equity Residential and its contractors reached out to us from the very beginning to make sure the MGH property that abuts this construction project remains safe, and hospital operations continue uninterrupted," says George MacNeil, Administrative Assets manager for MGH Buildings and Grounds. "They've put monitoring equipment and sensors in key areas such as the Operating Rooms and Radiation Oncology to make sure the construction doesn't result in disruptive vibrations that could interfere with procedures or sensitive equipment. We've been very pleased with the collaborative spirit of this project with our new neighbors."

The blasting activity that will commence soon is highly regulated by the Boston Police and Fire departments as well as the City of Boston. The blasting is engineered and controlled with safety measures taken throughout the process to ensure minimal disruption to the areas surrounding the construction. Staff members from Buildings and Grounds, the MGH Environmental Health and Safety Office and MGH Police and Security have convened a network of MGH staff from various departments to monitor the effects of the blasting should any occur and quickly notify the construction contractor of any problems.

The blasting phase of the project — which will last for three months — will begin with test blasts that will be completed during the first two or three days of activity. Audible pre- and post-blast alerts are required for each test and actual blasting event. These alerts will consist of three loud, short air-horn bursts five minutes before the blast, two air-horn bursts one minute before the blast and one air-horn burst at completion. The tentative plan is to have a blasting session in the morning and another in the afternoon.

In addition, MGH staff have been working with the contractors to ensure traffic is properly controlled during construction; parking is still accessible and safe; deliveries to the hospital are still made without obstruction; dirt and debris are controlled properly; and The Clubs at Charles River Park remain open and accessible. For more information or for questions about the construction project, contact George MacNeil at (617) 726-2411 or Bob Castaldo, director of the MGH Environmental Health and Safety Office, at (617) 726-2425.