Natick Report

Since 2020: More than you really want to know about Natick, Mass.

Charles River Watershed Assoc. to host South Natick Dam office hours

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Dam removal is underway in South Natick. The Charles River Watershed Association will host office hours with coffee and treats at the Bacon Free Library this summer. Drop in to ask questions and learn more about dam removal and restoration efforts across the Charles River Watershed and Massachusetts.

South Natick dam
Photo by Maureen L. Sullivan, June 8, 2026

dam removal
Dam removal in process, July 9, 2026

 

South Natick Dam Office Hours

 
DATES/TIMES:

July 31, 10am-noon
Guest: Adrienne Dunk, GZA; expertise: Project Permitting

August 14, 10am-noon

August 28, 10am-noon

LOCATION: Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot St., Natick
 

Coverage from your reliable local news source

 
Natick Report has been covering the dam removal process since the beginning. Review our stories before you attend office hours…

July 9, 2026—Mud bath anyone? South Natick dam removal continues

June 25, 2026—South Natick Dam removal ‘has passed the go/no go point’

May 26, 2026—It’s almost time to pay your respects to the South Natick dam

All the way back to 2022—Recommendation on South Natick Dam’s fate fast approaching

There’s much more…just type South Natick dam into our search bar for more stories.

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Save the date: Natick Main Street Improvement Project public forum set for April 16

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Come learn about the Main Street Improvement Project and give your input on April 16 (6-8pm) at the Natick Community Senior Center at 117 E. Main St.

At this meeting:

  • Town staff will share information on the background, goals, and timeline of the Main Street Improvement Project, followed by an overview of the project’s current design concept.
  • Attendees will then be invited to explore the design concept plans firsthand through an interactive, open-house walkthrough.
  • The meeting will conclude with a Q&A where you can ask questions and provide direct feedback to the project team.

Encourage Natick departments to place paid legal notices on Natick Report to reach more people.

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Legal Notice: MassDOT to hold in-person public meeting for status update on Routes 27/9 project

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THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – HIGHWAY DIVISION

NOTICE OF AN IN-PERSON PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING

Project File No. 605313

An In-Person Public Information Meeting will be hosted at Wilson Middle School, at 22 Rutledge Road, Natick, MA, 01760, to present a status update for the Route 27 and Route 9 Bridge Replacement and Interchange Improvements in Natick.

WHEN: Thursday, March 26, 2026, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Wilson Middle School, 22 Rutledge Road, Natick, MA, 01760

PURPOSE: The purpose of this meeting is to update the public on the status of the bridge replacement project and interchange improvements. MassDOT will present the project background, the schedule and construction phasing, the right-of-way process, project landscaping, public involvement, and next steps. The meeting will include a presentation by the project team followed by a question-and-answer session. All views and comments will be reviewed and considered to the maximum extent possible.

PROJECT: This project will include the replacement of the structurally deficient Bridge No. N-03-020 which carries North Main Street (Route 27) over Worcester Street (Route 9) and consists of the reconfiguration of the interchange to a modified Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) configuration. The reconfiguration will provide safety improvements, reduced traffic congestion through the interchange, and improved bicycle and pedestrian facilities using separated shared use paths and sidewalks. The project length is approximately 3,850 feet along Route 9 and 2,120 feet along Route 27. The work will also include transit stops along Route 27 and Route 9 along with reconstructed sidewalks, drainage improvements, traffic signals, retaining walls, utility relocations, signing, roadway lighting, and landscaping.

This meeting is accessible to people with disabilities. MassDOT provides reasonable accommodations and/or language assistance free of charge upon request (e.g., interpreters in American Sign Language and languages other than English, live captioning, videos, assistive listening devices and alternate material formats), as available. For accommodation or language assistance, please contact MassDOT’s Chief Diversity and Civil Rights Officer by phone (857-368-8580), TTD/TTY at (857) 266-0603, fax (857) 368-0602 or by email (MassDOT.CivilRights@dot.state.ma.us). Requests should be made as soon as possible prior to the meeting, and for more difficult to arrange services including sign-language, CART, language translation, or interpretation, requests should be made at least ten business days before the meeting.

This meeting will be posted, or a cancellation announcement posted, on the internet at:
https://www.mass.gov/orgs/highway-division/events

JONATHAN GULLIVER CARRIE LAVALLEE, P.E.
HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATOR CHIEF ENGINEER

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State awards Natick $1M grant for dam removal project

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Grants are never a sure thing, and that’s even more so these days given all of the federal cuts, but Natick officials are celebrating a $1 million grant for its Charles River dam removal project that was officially awarded to it this week by the state.

As we reported recently following Charles River dam/spillway and parkland project updates shared with the Select Board, the town was feeling pretty confident about getting the Dam and Seawall Repair or Removal grant from the state. The Healey-Driscoll administration announced nearly $11 million in such grants this week.

south natick dam log“Strong infrastructure keeps our communities running – from protecting homes during storms to keeping roads open and water secure,” said Gov. Maura Healey, in a . “By investing in these projects now, we’re helping communities prevent future problems, save money over time, and keep people and neighborhoods safe.”

The Dam and Seawall Program provides funding for the design, permitting, and construction of infrastructure projects that directly improve public health, public safety, or ecological restoration.

Securing federal funding remains challenging, but Natick has applied.

The Natick Select Board voted in 2022 to remove the spillway, largely for financial and environment reasons. Spillway removal is projected to happen next summer, allowing the river to run free.

Now, thanks to Natick Report’s partnership with Tiny News Collective, you can make tax deductible contributions to support our work.

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Natick’s Loker Street bridge already being disassembled

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Regular users of the Cochituate Rail Trail, currently detoured around the area beneath the deficient Loker Street bridge, have been surprised to see the structure already being disassembled.

Update: Bridge is pretty much gone on 8/26/25.

loker bridge down
Photo by Maureen L. Sullivan
loker street bridge down
Photo by Maureen L. Sullivan

The Loker Street bridge in Natick has been closed to vehicles for ages, but now it’s off limits to pedestrians and cyclists, too, for what the Massachusetts Department of Transportation terms “a long-term closure.”

MassDOT earlier this month inspected the 1907 bridge, on a street off Bacon Street and Rte. 27, and found structural damage on the wooden supports, according to Bill Spratt, Natick’s Executive director of Public Works and Facilities. Spratt shared an update on the bridge situation during the Aug. 20 Select Board meeting, about 9 minutes into the recording.

Removing the bridge should get the rail trail back in action before long, though it’s unclear whether or when a new bridge will be installed.

Some photos from the rail trail and Loker Street bridge disassembly, courtesy of Maureen L. Sullivan:

signage at the Fisher Street end of the trail.
Natick might need to up its sign budget: Signage at Fisher Street
end of Rail Trail (photo by Maureen L. Sullivan)

 

shows the original wooden planking that was concealed by blacktop when it was converted into a pedestrian bridge some years ago.
Original wooden planking that was concealed by blacktop when Loker Street Bridge
was converted into pedestrian path some years ago (photo by Maureen L. Sullivan)

 

rail trail detour map

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