SOUTHWICK – As winter approaches, the Congamond Road project is slowing down due. Pereira Construction continues to work on installing most of the underground utilities and plans to close up their work in a few weeks.
That being said, Pereira had been planning to complete the final road reconstruction and paving before the winter.
“They’re not making as much progress as they’d hope to make,” said DPW Director Randy Brown.
The Massachusetts DOT has decided to have Pereira wrap up the construction in the next few weeks.
The Select Board, DPW Director Randy Brown, and town counsel are seen discussing the Congamond Road project a couple of weeks ago. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
“It’s still a little disheartening that they’re choosing to wrap up earlier than I’ve seen other firms wrap up,” said Select Board Vice-Chairman Russ Fox. “You can usually get a lot of work done in a few weeks.”
A major concern for Fox is what Congamond Road will be like for vehicles using that road during the winter.
“It’s still going to be a very big concern to us, the condition of the road during the winter months and the early spring, particularly when we’re plowing the road and people are traveling that road,” said Fox.
In order to help address the issues with the road during the winter, signage will be added on Congamond Road, along with a reduced speed limit, barriers between the lanes, and reflective lights for bad conditions and evenings.
“We obviously want to make it safe for all vehicle and pedestrians to travel down that road,” said Brown.
Another issue that needs to be resolved is replacing some telephone poles with newer ones. Utility companies will be replacing those poles since some of them are making for a narrowing of the roadway causing a tight space for vehicles to pass by each other.
Brown added that while he’s not completely sure what the exact timetable is to complete the Congamond Road project, he’s hoping it’s finished by the end of 2019.
Mass DOT is funding the $4.1 million project and has complete oversight. The project includes a new drainage system, a sidewalk on the south side of the road, and new bike lanes.
