Weekly Construction Update 6/9/2023
DATE: Friday, June 9, 2023
TRAFFIC IMPACT AND DURATION:
Starting Sunday, June 11, at 7:00 p.m. and continue through Friday, June 16, at 6:00 a.m. during nighttime hours (7:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m.), crews will continue installing underground utilities (waterline, stormwater, and duct bank) along U.S. Route 2/7 (U.S. 2/7). Crews will also prepare for daily blasting operations beginning at 6:30 a.m. 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.
Starting Monday, June 12, at 6:00 a.m. and continuing through Friday, June 16, at 3:00 p.m. during the daytime hours (6:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.), crews will continue removing materials including the roadway surface and ledge to facilitate the installation of underground utilities. This work will require the closures of various travel lanes along U.S. 2/7 throughout the project area. Only a single travel lane will be closed in each direction during daytime hours. Traffic will be maintained through traffic shifts. Traffic patterns will change.
Blasting operations will continue throughout the week during the daytime hours. Blasting will be restricted to the hours of (6:30 a.m. - 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.). Daily blasting notifications will be posted to the project website. Additional traffic restrictions during blasting operations are described below.
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, crews will continue to install underground utilities along U.S. 2.7. Starting Sunday, crews will be working in the center lanes in the vicinity of the I-89 southbound onramp. Mid-week, crews will begin working in the northbound lanes in the vicinity of 18 Lower Mountain View Drive. Later in the week, crews will work to install stormwater infrastructure along the west edge of U.S. 2/7. 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.
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