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Southern Vermont shoulders road work
By: Susan Bush - October 23rd, 2004
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| An employee of Whitcomb Construction kept watch as the gravel spilled out, and workers following the truck smoothed the shoulder surface using hand tools Tuesday on route 7 in Pownal... |
BENNINGTON, Vt. — Bennington may have part of a bypass completed, but state and local officials say projects just as important in many ways have been completed or are about to be completed in town and in nearby communities.
For a few more days, residents in the tiny rural town of Stamford can actually boast two traffic signals — even if few people ever see them. The lights were erected on Mill Road to control traffic over a temporary one-lane bridge while new bridge construction proceeds.
Timothy Pockette, an engineer with the state Agency of Transportation, is juggling the Stamford project with endeavors in Pownal and Bennington.
A 10-mile, $1.7 million Route 7 paving project stretching from the Pownal/Williamstown, Mass. border to the Bennington town line is nearly finished, and the immediate benefits eclipse those offered by the recent opening of the bypass’ western segment, said Pockette and Bennington Town Manager Stuart Hurd.
Hurd said Tuesday that the paving, coupled with a $2.2 million project that impacted the downtown from the New York border of Route 9 to just before the Top Notch Diner, brought improved driving for motorists.
"These projects in combination have an immediate impact, more so than the western segment of the bypass," Hurd said. "I'm glad that the first leg of the bypass is done, but it's just the first leg. There's much more work to be done."
Pockette agreed.
"Currently, the bypass only serves one direction of traffic flow," he said. "If you live just west of Route 9, you are probably seeing a reduction in truck traffic, which helps those folks."
The Route 7 project went beyond paving, Pockette said. Several new guardrail sections were installed, a Route 346/Route 7 intersection was reconfigured, and a stop sign affecting northbound and southbound traffic exiting from Route 346 was erected. Three of the four rest areas along the Pownal stretch of highway were eliminated, and a 10-foot high chain-link fence should prevent illegal trash dumping at the remaining rest area, according to Pockette. Highway markings were altered near the Green Mountain Race Track and the reconfigured intersection, and a 50 mph speed limit was reduced to a posted 45 mph beginning just before the Stewart's Shoppe to just beyond Tornabene's GMC vehicle dealership. The road shoulders were raised on Tuesday to eliminate a low-shoulder hazard, Pockette said, adding that the rainy weather was a plus for the task.
"The moisture allows for compaction, so sometimes rain is good for construction work."
He said future plans call for paving the rest area’s driving surface, but just when that will occur is not certain. Federal funds paid for 81 percent of the project costs, state revenues the remaining 19 percent.
Route 7 business owner Sharon Nichols and Hurd said they believe the revamped highway is safer and more appealing to tourists. State Rep. William "Bill" Botzow, D-Pownal, agreed that the highway is much improved but said some hazards remain.
" It's a better and safer highway," he said. "But I think there's work still to be done. There are still some blind driveways. I do think an attractive, safer road from Williamstown to Bennington will pull people through Pownal. People may decide to invest here."
The changes carry some concern, said Vermont State Police Lt. Stephen Poirot. The new pavement is darker than the previous surface and the hue can impact night driving, he said.
"One thing that goes along with new pavement is less visibility because everything is so dark," he said.
Oil slicks are more prevalent on fresh pavement, and smooth road surfaces may become more slippery than older, gouged surfaces during rainstorms, he said. Speed is another factor.
"The curves are still there, and people need to know you can't take those corners any quicker because of new pavement.”
New lane markings near Winchester's Store and the redesigned intersection may cause confusion, Poirot said.
"There's a lot going on at that intersection, and I'm concerned that there's not enough there to let people know what is going on.”
He noted that traffic from two mobile home parks, the store and the intersection join through-traffic in that area.
"But you never know where the trouble spots are going to be on new road until they've been driven for a while," he said.
Pockette said he's heard that drivers are traveling faster, and he agreed that increased speeds pose risks. But he noted that drivers are responsible for their driving conduct on any highway and should be obeying traffic laws and safe driving practices.
Pownal resident Nichols moved her Country Cupboard gift and decor store from Cold Spring Road in Williamstown to a Route 7 site near the town elementary school in August. Business is better and the highway is safer since the improvements, she said.
"As a Vermonter, I'm glad they did something," she said. "That road was nasty. I know it's a safer ride. And as for the tourists, I think it's a nicer ride for them. And I can tell you for a fact that I'm doing so much better here than when I was in Williamstown."
The improvements need publicity, she said.
"It needs to be publicized so people know how much nicer it is. I would think that people who've driven on the road before would think it's much better now and would want to travel this way."
"This way" leads north into Bennington, where the Route 9 project benefits are many, Hurd and Pockette said.
The town paid about $25,000 for sidewalk and curb work before the project launched in late summer 2003, Hurd said. The construction was fully funded through federal revenues. Just about all of the work is finished, and a final inspection was scheduled for today [Thursday, Oct. 21]. Work included drainage improvements, signs, sidewalk ramps for the handicapped and brick-type crosswalks.
"That is what really stands out and makes the project look sharp, the crosswalks," Pockette said. "That makes a difference."
Dowtown pedestrian walkways were specially marked to create rectangular shapes and were then painted a reddish-brown hue. White markings frame the crossings, and the contrast against dark pavement create enhanced driver visibility, Pockette said.
The project disrupted traffic and created some business challenges, he said, but town officials and most business owners tolerated the inconveniences with little complaint.
"With construction, we impede on stuff," he said. "People were very tolerant of us coming in and messing things up."
The Stamford bridge site is past the town garage and before Tatro Road. Pockette is overseeing the $527,142 project. He said that temporary traffic signals along a rural unpaved road are uncommon, but this project has been anything but routine.
Signals operate at each end of the interim bridge because drivers’ line of sight was inadequate for safe crossing, he said. The lights may be removed this week because one lane of the new bridge could open over the next several days. With one travel lane open, the temporary bridge can be removed, and then new bridge construction can resume, he said. The work could be finished by early December, and the bridge will allow two-way traffic when completed.
The construction site sits beyond a paved surface between a steep embankment and a river. Work space is at a premium, Pockette said.
"Overall, this is a relatively simple project in a fairly difficult place," he said. "Here, if you're not dealing with big boulders, you are dealing with clay."
One reason the temporary bridge must be removed before the project is finished is because some work must occur under where the temporary bridge stands, Pockette said.
"And Mother Nature was not nice to us this year," he said. "When it rained, the river went up a foot. It's been a rough road. Every time you turn around, there's an obstacle."
Kubricky Construction of New York is the project general contractor.
"They've been very good," Pockette said, adding that that the expertise of town Road Commissioner John Tatro has been beneficial.
Federal funds are financing 90 percent of the project costs, and town dollars the remaining 10 percent. |
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