SALISBURY — Delays should be expected for the foreseeable future for those traveling up and down Route 1 as the initial phase of a multiyear project to rehabilitate the roadway from Salisbury Square to the New Hampshire line creeps forward.
“It is road construction, and I know it’s an inconvenience, but once this project is completed, it’s going to be an absolutely beautiful stretch of roadway into the beautiful town of Salisbury,” Department of Public Works Director Jamie Tuccolo said.
The contract for the project was awarded last fall to Newport Construction Corp., which submitted a winning bid of $18,371,000.
“They are a phenomenal company,” Tuccolo said. “They’ve been attentive to any questions or concerns or issues that any townspeople have.”
The work will include rebuilding and repaving the street, relocating utilities, installing new sidewalks and a shared-use path, reconfiguring the Lafayette Road/Forest Road intersection, an providing safer crosswalks, particularly at Salisbury Elementary School. It will also include two roundabouts – one at the intersection of Lafayette and Toll roads and other at the intersection of Lafayette Road and Pike/Collins Street.
As a Lafayette Road resident herself, Selectmen Chairperson Ronalee Ray-Parrott urged folks to look forward to the completed project rather than focus on the current frustrations it has brought to some commutes.
“People are going to need to be very patient over the next two years because it is a tough road to drive on right now and it’s definitely not going to get any better for the next couple years,” she said. “But that’s all we can do is look forward to how beautiful it’s going to be when it is a done.”
One thing Ray-Parrott said she has noticed is an alarming number of people speeding through the construction site.
“It is always amazing to me at how fast people can drive,” Ray-Parrott said.
She urges people to drive through it slowly as they would any construction site.
Workers are still tackling drainage improvements, according to Tuccolo, with work beginning at the end of March.
“So, all of the drainage work from the Beach Road area all the way to town line is going to be completed, and then the other work, the road work, sidewalk work, the curb work, is then going to follow,” Tuccolo said.
He said the drainage work is nearly finished.
“They’re heading toward Toll Road right now,” Tuccolo said. “Once they get to Toll Road, they’ll circle back around and they’ll start doing improvements on the trail area.
In regard to timeline and updates, Tuccolo said he meets with the state and the contractor on a biweekly basis.
“I post on the town’s website a three-week look ahead. So, we get a three-week look ahead and then we post it online so people know what to expect the next three weeks,” Tuccolo said.
He said the project is expected to take about three years, meaning it will be done about 2026 or 2027. Tuccolo said people can expect the construction to affect their travel in the immediate future, with work on Lafayette Road already causing some lane shutdowns, among other obstacles.
For Tuccolo’s most recent three-week look ahead schedule, visit www.salisburyma.gov/current-projects/news/lafayette-road-reconstruction-project.
Matt Petry covers Amesbury and Salisbury for The Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: mpetry@northofboston.com.