HADLEY — The multi-million-dollar Route 9 reconstruction project will break ground next week, just in time for some of the heaviest traffic weekends of the year, including commencements, Mother’s Day and Memorial Day.
This phase of the project, town officials confirmed during a Select Board meeting Wednesday, will widen Russell Street (Route 9) from Whalley Street to Middle Street.
The town is expected to pay about $260,000 of the project’s total cost of about $3 million, said Town Administrator David G. Nixon, which involves the state’s widening of the road as well as work on municipal infrastructure, including water lines, beneath the surface.
“It’s a great opportunity for the town,” Nixon said, adding that Hadley saves nearly $100,000 by collaborating with the state on the project. “Some of our water lines are over 100 years old.”
Nixon said the town will continue to collaborate with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation in this fashion as they phase in work further east on Route 9 over the next decade.
Wednesday’s meeting started during the public comment session with a conversation about traffic creating a “mess” during the first flea market of the season at 45 Lawrence Plain Rd. April 17.
“It was terrible,” said Police Chief Michael Mason, adding that he got 30 to 40 calls with complaints.
He said that because that day landed on a three-day-weekend with beautiful weather, it was an unforeseen recipe for traffic disaster.
“Plus the (Bay Road) bridge didn’t help,” Mason said, referring to the repairs reducing the road to one lane.
However, Mason said additional police officers directing traffic helped to ease congestion last Sunday.
Select Board members agreed they will have to watch traffic issues carefully with construction breaking ground next week.
Department of Public Works Director Marlo Warner said that the work that starts next week includes replacing natural gas lines,whereas the road reconstruction will not begin until June.
Another change, said Warner, is in the timeline — now that MassDOT sees the work as a full reconstruction of the road, the end date for the project is not until Sept. 9, 2017.
“They don’t expect a lot of delays,” said Warner, adding MassDOT promised to keep the lanes level to ensure ease of travel in the meantime. “They don’t plan on shutting down the road at all — they assured us it wasn’t going to be a large impact.”
But board members and other officials in the room were skeptical about that point.
“We all live here and we know what actually transpires,” said building commissioner Timothy Neyhart, referring to a PVTA bus breakdown at Town Hall recently caused traffic congestion all the way east to the Hampshire Mall. “I think they’re kind of unrealistic to say there’s not going to be any backups.”
As concerns were raised about traffic and the upcoming college graduation season, Select Board member Joyce A. Chunglo said she hopes to see the state step up with money for additional police staffing.
“It’s up to (the state) to provide coverage,” she said. “It’s their project so they’ll have to hire the officers.”
Nixon said that while the construction will be an inconvenience, it is allowing the town to piggyback on the state’s project and address aging infrastructure.
“We’re going to have to work together on this,” he said.
Chunglo, acting as chairwoman Wednesday in Molly Keegan’s absence, said the state is aware of the town’s annual Memorial Day Parade on May 29, during which she said she wants to see all of “my Select Board” marching alongside her.
“My Select Board?” asked member John Waskiewicz with a smirk and added emphasis to the first word.
“She’s in the big chair tonight, John!” replied Select Board Member Gerald Devine, to laughter from the room.
Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.