Route 1 Project - Weekly Update (7-15-15)

FALMOUTH ROUTE ONE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT

Construction Update #45 – July 15, 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 this week will begin at approximately 6:00 a.m. and last until approximately 4:30 p.m.  Night work involving road crossings at the south end of the project zone will occur this week, starting at approximately 6:00 p.m. and continue until about 6:00 a.m.

GENERAL OVERVIEW:

Route One right now is a very busy place. There are three final utilities cutovers, including one from OTT Communications, scheduled for Thursday evening. Fairpoint is done and has removed its overhead service. CMP has been removing equipment; some will remain until the new traffic signals are active.

In general, the coordination of cutovers (individual service connections for businesses) has gone smoothly. This was an element of the project that required a great deal of coordination between the utilities, contractors and private businesses.

If you’ve visited the Route One area this week, you’ve noticed that the roadway is now completely milled (with temporary striping in place) and that crews are cutting through pavement in advance of the new pedestrian safety islands.

And if you’ve been on the road in the evening, you might have noticed that some of the new street lights on the south end of the project are now in operation! As the next few weeks progress, you’ll see more of this lighting begin service.

We continue to hear from Town residents concerning the condition of some of the recently-planted shade trees – for which we thank you. The Town is considering this matter a top priority and we’ve been meeting regularly with the landscape contractor, the general contractor and independent landscaping and tree consultants. The additional monitoring and management of this issue is not adding to the project costs and there are guarantees built into the construction contracts that require healthy trees.

The Gingkoes are in good shape; some of the Maples are beyond recovery and are being removed; and most of the Katsuras and Elms are showing new buds. These trees are being carefully monitored and watering is frequent (and logged).

WORK CURRENTLY UNDERWAY:

As of Wednesday, July 15, crews were working on – or have completed – the following:

• Utilities cutovers.
• Wiring of traffic signals, pedestrian and street lighting (all meters and connections to the duct bank are in place).
• Installation of traffic signal “loops” (see pictures below).
• Excavation for pedestrian safety islands.
• The new traffic signals at Clearwater Drive are wired and tested.

WORK YOU’RE LIKELY TO SEE THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON:

• Six conduit crossings will be installed across Route One this week (and possibly into early next week). These crossings will be installed on the south end of the project, starting in the vicinity of Falmouth Physical Therapy and proceeding south from there. These conduit banks will remain inactive at present, but will ultimately permit the delivery of underground utilities from the overhead service on the east side of Route One to businesses on the west side, without requiring the road to be opened. This work will occur during overnight hours. Two-way traffic should be maintained.
• Curbing for the pedestrian safety islands is currently scheduled to begin on Wednesday and last for the remainder of the week. Additional curbing work in other areas may be expected.
• You may expect to see continued installation of traffic signal detection loops and wiring of traffic signals.
• Continued wiring of street and pedestrian lighting; expect some of the pedestrian lighting to be energized this week.
• Installation of loam and hydro seeding in unfinished sidewalk areas.
• Continued removal of obsolete overhead utility cables

WORK YOU’RE LIKELY TO SEE NEXT WEEK:

We expect to begin removing utility poles sometime next week!

PHOTOGRAPHS:

Given how important the shade trees are to the project – particularly in light of the disappointing condition of some of them – the Town is placing a high priority on ensuring that landscaping work is delivered as contracted. Here, we see Falmouth Town Manager Nathan Poore (left) inspecting a Katsura tree with a landscape contractor and a project engineer.

Here, we see a crew from Moulison North wiring up the new traffic signals at Depot Road.

Here, we see a crew from Moulison North installing a detection system at Clearwater Drive. The wires, which are laid into a precisely-cut system of grooves in the asphalt, will use a magnetic field to sense waiting traffic.

Pedestrian safety is a big consideration, and some crosswalks are being installed in areas between traffic signals. This is one such location, between the Morong dealership and the Morong service facility. We see a crew from Sargent Corporation removing pavement in the center of Route One. A curbing crew will install granite curbing this week; another crew will add cobbles inside the pavement, and the island will be deeply filled with loam. Attractive perennial plants will then be planted.