The snowplows and sanders are put away for the season. Spring is here, and that means the start of construction season around Windham County.
The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) has several big projects going, the biggest being the $61 million Brattleboro-Hinsdale bridge project and the $27.5 million roadway reconstruction of Route 30 between Brattleboro and Newfane.
The focus of the bridge project so far has been on the Vermont side, as construction crews work on building retaining walls and the pier that will support the bridge over the New England Central Railroad tracks and toward the New Hampshire side of the Connecticut River.
Route 142 (Vernon Street) near the construction site - from just north of the access to Royal Road to just south of the access to 28 Vernon St. - will be closed for 90 days, starting on May 30. Installation of message boards and signs for the detour will begin this week.
Traffic will detour from Route 142 up Cotton Mill Hill Road, left onto South Main Street, continuing onto Fairground Road, and finally back to Canal Street.
Drivers of vehicles with significant turning radius coming from the north will be able to turn around just south of the sharply angled Cotton Mill Hill Road intersection on Route 142, then return north to enter the road safely.
A three-way stop will also be implemented at the Cotton Mill Hill Rd. and Route 142 intersection and the speed limit will be reduced to 45 mph along Route 142.
Rebuilding Route 30
The 10-mile roadway reclamation project along Route 30 stretching from Cedar Street in Brattleboro to Hemlock Hill Road in Newfane began last fall with removal of materials from rock ledges in West Dummerston.
Work resumed in April to remove and rebuild the roadbed with asphalt reclaimed from the existing paved surface, mixed with new materials, before the highway gets a new coat of pavement.
Also included in the project, which is expected to be finished by late October, are improvements with road drainage, new guard rails and signage, and center-line rumble strips.
VTrans says multiple operations are underway with alternating one-way traffic in effect at several locations along the project. Motorists should anticipate multiple delays and should drive carefully, adapting to the varying surface conditions that result from the ongoing work.
In a news release, VTrans urged motorists to slow down and drive cautiously on this section of Route 30, where speed limits previously listed at 50 mph have been reduced to 40 mph while construction is underway.
Fines are doubled for speeding within the construction zone.
Numerous people have complained about vehicle damage, ranging from flat tires and broken suspension parts to cracked windshields. Anyone who has suffered vehicle damage should contact Natalie Boyle, public information consultant for the project, at [email protected] or 802-855-3893.
A busy summer
Other VTrans projects around Windham County include:
• A bridge deck replacement project on Interstate 91 over Route 121 in Westminster. I-91 northbound and southbound has been reduced to one lane of travel across the bridges, with the speed limit reduced to 55 mph within the project area.
Route 121 under the bridge will be closed until Friday, May 19. A detour route uses Route 5, the I-91 Access Road, and Back Westminster Road.
• Resurfacing is underway along I-91 northbound between Exit 5 in Westminster and Exit 8 in Springfield. VTrans said motorists can expect lane closures at two points.
• A series of culvert replacements continues along Route 100 in Wardsboro. Motorists should expect temporary one-way alternating traffic during weekdays.
• And on Route 9 between West Brattleboro and Wilmington, where repaving is in the home stretch, according to VTrans, motorists can expect alternating one-way traffic.