Weekly Construction Update 5/12/2023
DATE: Friday, May 12, 2023
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES:
Starting Sunday, May 14, at 7:00 p.m., crews will begin night work. Night work will take place Sunday night through Friday morning between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
TRAFFIC IMPACT AND DURATION:
Starting Sunday, May 14, at 7:00 p.m. and continuing throughout the week during nighttime hours (7:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m.), crews will be installing water line starting in the vicinity of Highpoint Center and working their way north along U.S. Route 2/7 (U.S. 2/7). 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.
Blasting activities will continue throughout next week starting Monday, May 15, through Friday, May 19, along U.S. 2/7 within the project area. Throughout the week, crews will continue blasting in the southbound lanes on U.S. 2/7 starting just north of Whitcomb Street and working north. Two travel lanes will remain open in each direction during daytime hours. Traffic patterns will change. This work will require the closure of the outermost southbound lane 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 9:00 a.m. and 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, crews will be installing water line along U.S. 2/7 starting in the vicinity of the Highpoint Center and continuing north.
Throughout the week, crews will continue trench work along U.S. 2/7 within the outermost southbound lane starting in the vicinity of Whitcomb Street and working north to facilitate the installation of underground utilities. 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 9:00 a.m. and 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.
Aerial views of crews setting up the blasting mats that work to contain debris during blasting events.
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