Route One Project - Weekly Update (8-11-15)
FALMOUTH ROUTE ONE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT
Construction Update #49 – August 11, 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 will start at approximately 8 p.m. and continue until about 6:00 a.m. on an as-needed basis.
GENERAL OVERVIEW:
We’re getting VERY close to the end of major work along the Route One corridor. There are still a few significant pieces of work – the continuation of road painting is the most visible right now – and some of the last major items aren’t scheduled to start until the week of September 7 (more on this below).
In general, though, we’re on the home stretch. Street and pedestrian lights are now active from south to north (with the exception of a handful of units currently undergoing troubleshooting). Most of the finish paving of the sidewalks is complete. Paving work is focused on finishing sidewalks and on driveway entrances.
And – at long last – the final utility pole has been removed!
Our goal is to have things pretty much wrapped up by September 11. Although there will be activity along the corridor for the next month or so, we can now clearly see the results of this effort. To businesses along the corridor: we can’t thank you enough for your cooperation during the project. We know it’s had an impact and truly appreciate your forbearance and support.
To residents who haven’t been on Route One for a while… well, why not come down and have a look? The merchants along the corridor would love to see you.
WORK CURRENTLY UNDERWAY:
As of Tuesday, August 11, crews were working on – or have completed – the following:
Activation of all segments of street and pedestrian lighting,
Pavement tie-ins between Route One and many driveways,
Road striping,
Re-shaping of the center island at the Bucknam Road intersection, to conform with the original design. This work should be completed by Thursday morning.
Installation of cobbles in driveway islands and biofilter entrances,
Loaming of center islands.
WORK YOU’RE LIKELY TO SEE THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON:
Continued paving at business entrances.
Paving of remaining sidewalk areas.
Installation of a finish casting on the north side of Bucknam Road, adjacent to the entrance to the Maine Medical Center campus (currently scheduled for Thursday).
Continued road painting.
Continued work on driveway islands.
On Thursday, a traffic engineer will conduct a final alignment and testing process on the traffic signals, which are currently on timers. Assuming successful testing, the signals will then be switched over to their magnetic detection loops.
Crews will begin installing remaining signage.
WORK YOU’RE LIKELY TO SEE NEXT WEEK:
Most projects you’ll see this week will continue into early next week.
Looking forward a bit, the week of September 7 is currently expected to be the last week of major work on the corridor. You’ll see quite a lot of activity that week. In the roadway, we expect to see a specialty paving contractor installing the final textured asphalt around the mid-road pedestrian islands.
We also expect a lot of landscaping work, as traffic islands and biofilters are planted with an attractive assortment of shrubs and perennial flowers. All plant species designated for these areas were carefully selected for their hardiness and resistance to salt.
PHOTOGRAPHS:
Remember the look of the overhead utilities along Route One?
The last pole: It stood opposite the Leavitt and Sons Deli. Owner Peter Leavitt was kind enough to capture its final moments and share them with us. This was the final overhead utility pole to be removed along the corridor.
Road painting is well underway.
Here we see a nearly-completed biofilter entrance, freshly cobbled. In all but winter months, stormwater will be channeled into the biofilters by means of the granite curbstone. During the week of September 7, the biofilters will be finished with the addition of an attractive mix of shrubs and perennial grasses and flowers. The biofilters remove petroleum products and other pollutants from stormwater runoff, reducing the amount of pollutants reaching Casco Bay.