Road Project Updates (Route 140 and Calamint Hill Road North)

May 6, 2019

Dear Residents/Businesses,

The following are updates on a couple of road reconstruction projects:

The construction phase of the Route 140 project has begun. Silt barriers have been installed and trees needing removal have been taken down. This project will provide traffic and safety improvements to Route 140 while also maintaining, or even enhancing, the historic nature of the East Princeton Village. The project includes the replacement of a structurally deficient bridge that carries Route 140 over Keyes Brook. The traffic and safety improvements include pavement reconstruction to provide consistent roadway widths, installation of granite curbing, new ADA compliant sidewalks and wheelchair ramps, redesign of the Route 140/Route 31/Beaman Rd intersection as a roundabout, and various drainage, lighting, streetscape, and traffic calming improvements.

This project has been underway for many years. When the Town looked into what it would cost to repair the bridge over Keyes Brook approximately 10 years ago, it was estimated to be in the $1 million range. The Selectboard and Town Administrator didn’t feel that the Town could afford to do the repairs. The Road Advisory Committee, working with the State, came up with an expanded project that would provide significantly more to the Town than just the bridge repair and would end up costing the Town approximately $800,000 (out of the entire $8 million). Route 140 will be rebuilt to State standards for depth of pavement and width which, because they are greater than Town standards, will ensure the road lasts longer than it would otherwise.

As you probably know, there have been multiple opportunities over the years for residents to learn more about this project and provide input. Updates have been and will continue to be posted on Town News. As with any road construction project, there will be noise, closings, and other inconveniences. We ask for your patience as we work to deliver on this long awaited project.

The reconstruction of Calamint Hill Road North is getting under way.  As you may have seen, tree removal is underway. Today, bids were opened for the road reconstruction and resurfacing portion of the project and as a result, the town is working on reviewing the bids and executing the contract. The exact timing of the road reconstruction and resurfacing is unknown because contractor scheduling is to be deterimined and of course, weather-related issues.  The exact start date of this work is also as yet undetermined, but the contractor should be putting out electronic message boards to keep road residents and other drivers informed about the timing of the expected work.