Route 1 Project - Weekly Update (6-30-15)

FALMOUTH ROUTE ONE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT

Construction Update #43 – June 30, 2015

The following information reflects the latest available information regarding the Route One Infrastructure Project in Falmouth. Please note that forward-looking information is based upon projections and is subject to change due to weather and other variables.

WORK HOURS:

Work in the Route One Infrastructure Project zone through Thursday of this week will begin at approximately 6:00 a.m. and last until approximately 4:30 p.m.  Night work involving utilities cutovers to individual businesses will also occur. No work is scheduled on Friday, July 3, due to the Independence Day holiday. Night work (see below) will commence on the evening of Sunday, July 5. Both night and day work will occur next week.

GENERAL OVERVIEW:

Almost daily, it’s possible to see remarkable changes occurring along the Route One corridor – and you can expect that to continue as we approach completion of the project.

You may have noticed that the upright poles for all the traffic signals are now in place. More trees have been planted.  Signals for pedestrians and street and pedestrian lights are being installed. And here’s something you may NOT have noticed: the utilities have started to dismantle some of the overhead infrastructure – both temporary (specifically related to the redevelopment project) and permanent (in areas where overhead utilities are no longer necessary).

The utilities cutovers are almost complete. Fairpoint expects to be finished by the end of the week. CMP expects to complete cutovers by early next week. Time Warner is almost done, and one final piece of utilities cutover (a final installation by Oxford Networks and Time Warner) should be complete by July 16.

We wish you all a wonderful, safe Independence Day!

WORK CURRENTLY UNDERWAY:

As of Tuesday, June 23, crews were working on – or have completed – the following:

  • Finish grading and sidewalk preparation north of Bucknam Road, in front of Norway Savings Bank
  • Continued installation of street lighting
  • Installation of pedestrian lighting along the sidewalks
  • Installation of an ADA ramp serving the new crosswalk that will be established between the Morong dealership and the service center
  • Fairpoint has begun removing overhead service in certain areas
  • CMP has begun removing transformers and other equipment from poles at the south end of the project zone

WORK YOU’RE LIKELY TO SEE THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON:

  • Although it was originally scheduled to begin today (June 30), installation of traffic signal mast arms is now expected to start tomorrow morning (mast arms are the metal structures that hold traffic signals over the roadway). These installations are significant projects, and as a safety measure, some traffic stoppages will be required. Once crews are ready to hoist the arms, traffic in the lanes over which each arm will hang will be halted as crews lift the arms into position and bolt them in place. In most cases, one-way traffic will continue to flow. Crews expect each hoist-and-bolt operation to be completed in about five minutes, after which traffic will be allowed to resume.  Both the Falmouth Police Department and flag crews will be there to manage traffic. Mast arm installation is expected to start at the Clearwater Drive intersection. Weather permitting, installation of mast arms will continue on Thursday.
  • Continued installation of pedestrian (sidewalk) lighting
  • Continued loaming and seeding behind the curbs
  • Pavers are expected Wednesday; The first coat of sidewalk will be paved in front of Norway Savings Bank; several secondary cross trenches, including those at FO Bailey, Olympia Sports and Falmouth Station are scheduled as well.

WORK YOU’RE LIKELY TO SEE EARLY NEXT WEEK:

  • Night work resumes on Sunday, July 5, as crews begin milling Route One in preparation for a complete (and, finally smooth!) repaving of the corridor. This work is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. and continue until about 7:00 am the next morning. Milling the roadway is expected to last about five nights and flag crews will direct traffic. Residents on nearby side streets should look for a letter from Director of Public Works Jay Reynolds this week, in which more detail will be provided. This will also be sent as an electronic communication later in the week. This work will be the most disruptive of the process of the road work process. Contractors have pledged to keep things as quiet (and quick!) as possible.
  • As the roadway gets milled, you can expect to see road painting crews establishing temporary road striping
  • Continued mast arm installation
  • Continued installation of pedestrian lighting
  • Continued landscaping work
  • Continued removal of obsolete overhead utilities apparatus

PHOTOGRAPHS:

Few design aspects of the project were weighed with more care by planners and Town Council members than the street and sidewalk lighting fixtures. Numerous designs were considered, and great attention was given to the intensity and color temperature of the light. Here, we see a crew installing one of the new units.

Here’s one of the new sidewalk lights mounted to its pedestal. The decorative collar is tied above the base, awaiting an electrician to connect the wiring. The lighting element consists of a complex array of light emitting diodes (LEDs), ensuring long life and minimal power demand. You’ll be able to see this fixture without all those overhead wires in a few weeks.

We’re just north of Bucknam Road, looking south. The stormwater runoff requirements in front of the Norway Savings Bank were among the most complex along the entire corridor – and this is the last major area to be finish-graded. At left, you can see the sidewalk prepped for paving (which should happen tomorrow); at right, a newly planted tree, and an area that’s been hydroseeded. The pipe sticking up center left will soon be a fire hydrant.