BRATTLEBORO — Night work continues on the project to replace two bridges over the West River on Interstate 91 with a single, four-lane structure that will accommodate northbound and southbound traffic.
Northbound I-91 traffic has been relocated to one of the lanes on the southbound bridge while demolition crews continue removing the decking of the northbound bridge, starting in the middle and moving outward.
Night work, which took a break for the Thanksgiving holiday but resumed Dec. 2, will continue Sunday through Thursday nights, and occasionally Friday night, for the next several months, until demolition is complete.
Traffic will remain reduced to one lane in each direction on the southbound span until completion of the new bridge in fall 2015.
Truck activity on Route 30 will continue for the week of Dec. 1. Route 30 will be reduced to a single lane intermittently; when this occurs, look to flaggers, who'll regulate traffic flow.
Route 30 will be closed for a two-day span between Dec. 16 and 22. The actual closure dates will be announced at least 72 hours in advance, should the weather permit work to proceed.
Once the closure begins, no through traffic will be permitted on Route 30 underneath the West River bridges, and through traffic will be detoured onto Upper Dummerston Road.
The West River Trail will be closed this week at the Marina Trailhead; through access will not be permitted from the north due to construction activities. Signage at the Marina Trailhead and Rice Farm Road Trailhead will indicate trail status.
The trail is open from the northern trailhead to a point just north of the bridge construction area. The northern trailhead access location is on Rice Farm Road, about a mile south of the Iron Bridge.
You can learn the current status of the trail at www.i91brattleborobridge.com.
On the West River, overhead demolition activities will continue over the next several months on the existing northbound bridge, but buoys and rope have been removed due to icy conditions. Workers will monitor the site and keep recreational traffic away from overhead activities.
The project website also includes live, round-the-clock video of traffic conditions in the construction zone from several locations, and shows the messages posted on the project's portable signs.