(May 4, 2017) Construction on West Street in Berlin will likely continue for three-to-four weeks and include intermittent partial closures, town officials said on Monday.
Public Works/Water Resources Director Jane Kreiter said what started as stormwater upgrades escalated when conflicts with other utilities, including water and sewer, were found on the street.
“Waterlines had to be moved and, in the process, we saw some very poor conditions with sewer lines, sewer laterals and waterlines, so those are being replaced as well,” she said.
Town Administrator Laura Allen said there was coordination with the State Highway Administration on work at one of the intersections on West Street. Sidewalk repairs and some paving would take place Tuesday, she said, and additional paving was likely.
“We see an opportunity to upgrade the road and we want to get an estimate and figure out how much that’s going to be,” Allen said.
Allen said there were some resident complaints when the project started, but that most have since abated.
“I think that was just because there was initial outreach and then there was a delay because of some additional testing that was done because of the [utility] conflicts,” Allen said. “When the project started up in earnest I think some folks just forgot about what we had told them.
“The contractor, I think, has done a really good job with the neighbors and making sure that they get access to their own driveways,” Allen added. “And I think our staff has done a really good job, too, of getting out and letting the neighbors know what’s going on.”
Kreiter said there were only two days when the street was fully closed since construction started in March. She said partial closures would continue.