By Tiffany Williams –
Worcester is about to make life miserable for anyone who thought a quick trip downtown was a good idea.
The city announced that Main Street from Federal Street to Front Street will be completely closed on Monday, Dec. 1 and Tuesday, Dec. 2 from 7 a.m. to noon. That’s right, the heart of the city shuts down just as people are trying to start their week.
City Hall visitors are being shoved into the Pearl-Elm Garage at 20 Pearl Street, and they’ll get a measly 30 minutes of validated parking—assuming they remember to bring their ticket. Police will be on hand to “assist with traffic detours,” which is a polite way of saying the city expects chaos.
The madness doesn’t stop there. Monday is just the appetizer: Chatham Street from High to Main, Franklin Street from Main to Church, and Portland Street from Franklin to Federal all close from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tuesday doubles down with Chatham Street closed from 7 to 11 a.m., Franklin Street locked from 7 to 4, Portland Street the same, and Salem Street joining the party from 11 to 4.
Wednesday keeps the squeeze on Federal Street from Main to Portland, Portland Street from Franklin to Myrtle, and Franklin Street from Main to Church from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Thursday brings Mechanic Street and Norwich Street into the shutdown, same hours.
Friday finishes the week strong, with Franklin, Portland, and Salem Streets all closed from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
City Hall says its operations won’t be impacted, but anyone actually trying to reach it will likely beg for mercy.
Signage will be posted, detours will be marked, but if you think that’s going to make this week of downtown street closures painless, think again. Worcester is basically running a full-scale traffic endurance test, and commuters are the unwilling contestants. A simple trip to pay a bill or drop off paperwork is about to become a full-blown exercise in patience, honking, and hair-pulling frustration.