NORWAY – Main Street looked like a rippled potato chip to early morning commuters Tuesday as the DOT began grinding the road’s surface.
Ephram Paraschak, consultant to the Department of Transportation, said grinding will be done from about 7 p.m. until 6 a.m. to avoid worsening the traffic delays. The work began Monday and is expected to end Thursday morning or possibly Friday.
The DOT will be grinding the surface of Main Street from the bridge at Water Street to the Stone-Smart American Legion hall.
He said the exact schedule for tarring had not been set yet, but the completion date of Sept. 6 was realistic.
The Main Street project has slowed traffic, causing delays as it is often funneled to one lane.
Those using Beal Street to circumvent those delays will soon have to just put up with the delays as work to replace the bridge will begin soon.
Originally it was announced that the work could start Friday. The bridge between Lynn and Danforth streets is due to be replaced.
Town Manager David Holt said Monday that the replacement bridge, built by a New Hampshire firm and then shipped to Norway, has not been received.
He said the permit from the Army Corps of Engineers allows the town to replace the bridge on Aug. 1, or later.
“We have a couple of things to worry about and that is how much water is in the brook and the town road crew’s work schedule,” Holt said. “It will happen, we just don’t know the exact day.”
Police Chief Tim Richards said the traffic slowdown on Main and Beal streets would affect New Balance employees leaving work in the afternoon the most.
“They will have to go from Cottage Street to Alpine Street or straight out Cottage Street to Main Street and down,” Richards said.
Holt said to date the same type bridge going in on Beal Street costs about $50,000 and has been used for projects on Greenleaf Avenue, Horne Street and Lynn Street.
“We like them because they are solid, pretty inexpensive and quite importantly, they go quickly,” Holt said. “A month might seem like a long time, but many times a bridge project like that takes a long time.”
He said some work on the headwalls needs to be done and that when finished the bridge would be about 15 feet wider to accommodate a sidewalk and bike lanes.
jsmedley@sunjournal.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.