Cummings Properties Media Release - November 14, 2007

Woburn's "MEAS Intersection" Improvements Nears Completion
Progress puts Trade Center 128 closer to access and occupancy goals
Cummings Properties Media Release

Woburn, Mass.-Heavy road planing equipment this morning is grinding away the asphalt from roadway surfaces of Main, Elm and Alfred streets and Sylvan Road-known as the "MEAS Intersection"-in preparation for a paving project that is expected to be completed before next weekend.

Work at these crossroads-located just north of the I-95/Route 128 rotary-is part of the Trade Center 128 development on Sylvan Road by Cummings Properties. The MEAS Intersection-a previously under-performing crossroads-has been undergoing more than $1.1 million in upgrades by Cummings Properties since the city approved the final plans last June.

Intersection expansion and enhancements, which are being completed by Woburn-based Dagle Corp. and M2 Construction Service Inc., include additional left-hand and right-hand turn lanes, widened roads, all new sidewalks and enhanced traffic signal systems.

Officials at Dagle and M2 said the custom-made traffic controlling equipment has taken considerable time to fabricate, but they expect the totally reconfigured intersection to be working by the end of this year. The system will feature the latest in video detection monitoring and will be linked to Woburn's citywide traffic monitoring system. These components allow the intersection to function "intelligently" and automatically change timings based on traffic volume at various entry locations. Another interesting feature is the installation of an "Opticom" system that will allow police, fire and emergency vehicles to remotely control the signaling, allowing them unobstructed passage at any time.

Dennis Clarke, president and CEO of Cummings Properties, said roadway project took slightly longer than expected to minimize the disruption of active traffic flows through the MEAS Intersection. The work was particularly complex because of the close proximity of wetland, where the entry to a
major drainage culvert was rebuilt. Clarke noted that modifications to buried telecommunications cables in the immediate work area also slightly delayed the project's schedule.

Clarke added that completion of this intersection upgrade project by Cummings Properties is one of the most important aspects of the new Trade Center because it is engineered to function as the primary gateway around the complex and it must be finished before the Trade Center can be occupied. The building for Middlesex Superior Court, which is expected to relocate to Trade Center 128 fromCambridge in March or April and a 900-car parking garage are nearing completion. The portion of the very prominent structure closest to Sylvan Road will contain 400,000 square feet of general office and medical space.

When complete, the extensive work at the MEAS Intersection will provide two left-hand turn lanes for northbound drivers on Main Street who wish to turn into the Stop & Shop complex and Trade Center 128. There will also be a second right-hand turn lane for outbound traffic leaving Sylvan Road and turning south on Main Street, and vehicles heading southbound on Elm Street will now have an exclusive left-hand turn lane and fully signalized access to Main Street, instead of the current "merge-at-your-own-risk" configuration.

It is also expected that Trade Center 128's own two main driveways onto Sylvan Road will be opened soon permitting vehicles to easily leave Trade Center 128 without using Elm Street, as they currently do. Many such drivers will then likely use Sylvan Road and head west toward Winn Street. Clarke said these driveways are expected to open to the public as soon as curbstone reconfigurations are completed.

Additionally, considerable offsite work is being done with the roadway configuration and new traffic light improvements at Main and School streets. These, too, are expected to be fully operational by the end of the year.