Wetlands concerns may delay Route 110 work a year

By Katie Farrell
Staff writer

Tue, May 13 2008

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AMESBURY — Mayor Thatcher Kezer said the town is looking at alternative designs for the Route 110 improvement project after environmental concerns were raised that could require more permitting and delay the project for a year.

The state Highway Department is planning to pay the costs for improvements along six-tenths of a mile of Route 110 from Interstate 495 to Elm Street in Amesbury, one of the road's busiest and most well-worn stretches.

The improvements will include widening, repaving and intersection improvements as far down as the Rabbit Road intersection in Salisbury.

When initially proposed last year, the state estimated that advertising for the project and construction would begin after July. But Kezer said issues were raised over the last month about the project's environmental impact on abutting wetlands.

The plan calls for adding another lane to 110 near the Carriagetown Plaza in order to improve traffic flow.

Under the current design, the additional lane and sidewalks would affect between 5,000 and 7,000 square feet of the wetlands, which will require additional environmental permits from the state, Kezer said.

Concerned that if the town needs to obtain the additional permits it will miss the bidding cycle for this year and delay the project for a year, Kezer said town officials are looking for an alternate plan.

"It's not a quick process, that's the concern," Kezer said.

The project plans need to be finalized in July, Kezer said, in order for the bidding to occur over the fall and the contracts to be signed over the winter before the spring construction season starts.

"We want to make every effort possible to get it in the cycle this year," Kezer said. "It will be challenging to do that, but we're going to make every effort."

Alternate designs to avoid part of the wetlands could include reconfiguring the location of the sidewalk, Kezer said.

Under the project, the changes would include:

r Widening Elm Street to four lanes closest to Route 110, with a portion of Rabbit Road and Merrill Street in Salisbury to be widened to three lanes near Route 110.

r Constructing sidewalks about 5 feet wide on the south side of Route 110, west of Carriagetown Plaza, on the north side of Route 110, east of the plaza, and on the east side of Elm Street up to the Riverwalk.

r Changes to traffic light designs at Carriagetown Plaza, at the Elm Street intersection and the Rabbit Road/Merrill Street intersection

Adam Hurtabise, spokesman for the state Highway Department, said Friday that initial estimates for the Route 110 project are around $5.2 million. That figure may be revised depending on the resolution of the wetlands issue, he said.

Hurtabise said the state is working with Kezer's office to come up with an alternate schedule if the environmental impact is not addressed in time for the project to get underway this year.