Weekly Construction Update 5/26/2023
DATE: Friday, May 26, 2023
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES:
Crews will be offsite starting Friday, May 26, at noon in observance of Memorial Day. Crews will return on Monday, May 29, at 7:00 p.m.
TRAFFIC IMPACT AND DURATION:
Starting Monday, May 29, at 7:00 p.m. and continuing through Friday, June 2, at 6:00 a.m. during nighttime hours (7:00 p.m. - 6:00 a.m.), crews will continue installing waterline starting near the Interstate 89 (I-89) northbound onramp towards Mountain View Drive and working their way north along U.S. Route 2/7 (U.S. 2/7). Crews will also prepare for daily blasting operations beginning at 6:30 a.m. Utility work is anticipated to begin in the Mountain View Drive intersection by Thursday, June 1. At least one travel lane will remain open in each direction during nighttime hours. Motorists are strongly encouraged to use caution while driving through the work zone and pay close attention to signage as traffic patterns will change.
Crews will continue removing material including the roadway surface and ledge to facilitate the installation of the waterline and stormwater utilities. This will continue through next week starting Tuesday, May 29, through Friday, June 2, during daytime hours (6:30 a.m. - 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.) along U.S. 2/7 between Whitcomb Street and Mountain View Drive. This work will require blasting. Crews will continue to work on the waterline and stormwater utilities along U.S. 2/7 between the I-89 northbound onramp and Mountain View Drive. This work will require the closure of the two outermost southbound lanes along the west side of U.S. 2/7. Utility work is anticipated to begin in the Mountain View Drive intersection by Thursday, June 1. Traffic will be shifted to allow for two travel lanes to remain open in each direction during daytime hours. Traffic patterns will change. This work will be completed under lane closures on U.S. 2/7 between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
In addition, traffic will be temporarily impacted on U.S. 2/7 and I-89 as part of the blasting activities more specific information is provided below. These impacts will be restricted to the hours of 6:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
U.S. Route 2/7
Four minutes prior to each blasting event, Uniformed Traffic Officers (UTOs) and barricades will be placed at either end of the blasting zone on U.S. 2/7 and the I-89 offramps to prevent vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists from entering the blasting zone. The blasting zone is anticipated to be between South Park Drive and Mountain View Drive, however, this area will be refined based on the specific blasting location. Flaggers will be present at adjacent businesses and sideroads to prevent pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles from entering the area. Once the area is secured, the blasting event will take place. After each blasting event, a blasting specialist will clear the area before allowing users to reenter the blasting zone. The I-89 interstate offramps will be cleared before U.S. 2/7 traffic is released. Wait times are not anticipated to exceed 10 minutes.
Interstate 89
Four minutes prior to each blasting event, UTOs and SDI construction vehicles will initiate a rolling roadblock between Exit 14 and 17 along I-89 northbound and southbound. Rolling roadblocks slow traffic down to create a gap in traffic to allow the blasting event to take place safely. A pilot vehicle will follow the last vehicle impacted by the rolling roadblock to inform the team once the area in the blasting zone is secured. The rolling roadblock will continue until the hard stop location is reached. To learn more about rolling roadblocks, watch this video created by the Kansas Turnpike.
All users should expect delays and plan ahead.
CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES:
Throughout the week, during nighttime hours (7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.), crews will be installing waterline along U.S. 2/7 between the I-89 northbound onramp and Mountain View Drive. On Wednesday, May 31, there will be a temporary water service disruption to facilitate waterline work. The service disruption will take place at night between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. All impacted businesses and residents will be notified.
Throughout the week, during daytime hours (6:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.), crews will continue trench work along U.S. 2/7 between the I-89 northbound onramp and Mountain View Drive to facilitate waterline installation. Crews will continue trench work along the west side of U.S. 2/7 outside of the roadway to facilitate stormwater infrastructure installation. This work will require the removal of subsurface ledge and will require blasting.
Blasting activities are anticipated to occur twice a weekday between the hours of 6:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. A blasting event will occur at each location as described above.
Please check the Exit 16 DDI project website or interactive map for daily updates on blasting locations, local impacts, and estimated blasting windows. For more information on blasting activities, click here.
Crews preparing for blasting activities.
Trench work continues on U.S. 2/7 at Whitcomb Street.
LOCATION: U.S. 2/7 in Colchester starting at the Winooski town line and continuing north for 1.05 miles to Sunderland Woods Road.
PROJECTED COMPLETION: Contract 1 Spring 2024, Contract 2 Summer 2026