Detours, delays expected for downtown road project

Main, Parker, Central, Oak streets, Lakewood Terrace to be repaved

By Owen Boss

GARDNER — Residents who frequently use roads through the downtown area will find themselves looking for alternate routes for much of the month of August during an extensive road paving project that officials expect will cause significant delays through the heavily trafficked business district. According to Director of Public Works Dane Arnold, the downtown road project is scheduled to start Aug. 4, and will include the milling and repaving of portions of Main, Parker, Central and Oak streets and Lakewood Terrace. “What we are going to be doing is milling the top inch and a half of or 2 inches of the road and then coming back over it and paving,” said Mr. Arnold. “It is probably going to take the better part of three weeks to complete the project, but then again this is all going to be weather-related.” The project, which Mr. Arnold said is expected to cost approximately $650,000, is funded through the state, although the city was responsible for months of preliminary inspections of manhole covers and drainage systems. “The funding for the project is all coming from the state through what are called Chapter 90 funds,” said Mr. Arnold. “The state gets about $150 million each year and distributes it amongst 351 different cities and towns, and they come up with a formula based on how many miles of road the city has.” Mr. Arnold added that through this formula, this year the city received $460,000 for road projects. Although measures will be taken to ensure the project will create as little traffic as possible, Mr. Arnold said when dealing with road paving in the downtown area, increased traffic is going to be inevitable. The paving project will be completed in sections, so local detours will constantly change throughout the month. “This project is going to definitely impede traffic. If you are trying to pass through town and you aren’t going downtown to shop, you should use alternative roads,” said Mr. Arnold. “We are going to try to phase the project in so that we will have as little impact on traffic as possible but ultimately it is the downtown area, and there will be traffic.” The increase in the price of crude oil is going to make the project more expensive than it would have been in years past, something that Mr. Arnold said is consistent with projects across the state. “It is all petroleum-based,” said Mr. Arnold. “The cost of paving has gone up 11 percent from last year to this year, so a project that would have cost us just under $600,000 last year is now costing us much more.” oboss@thegardnernews.com

Appeared on Page 1 on 7/5/2008 (Vol. 206 No. 158)