SOUTHAMPTON — Dirt unearthed and debris scattered on the shoulder along a stretch of busy Route 10 has left little room for pedestrians, or for students walking to the William E. Norris School when the first day of school begins Wednesday.
The $1 million Safe Routes to School project under the direction of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation has been underway since March and involves constructing a 10-foot-wide sidewalk, or shared use path, along Route 10 between Lynn Drive and Pomeroy Meadow Road. Three crosswalks will be installed along this stretch of road, along with “rapid-flash” pedestrian beacons.
While the project is aimed to make roadways safer for students walking to school along the busy road, town officials worry the unfinished work could be hazardous during pick up and drop off.
Select Board chairman Charlie Kaniecki said he was under the impression that the project would be completed by the start of school. State transportation officials, however, said that the job likely won’t be finished until next spring — though sidewalks should be done this fall.
“It’s Safe Routes to School,” Kaniecki said, adding that one would think a project focused on the safety of students commuting to school would be complete in time for the school year.
Before the project began, children could use a shoulder of grass to safely walk along Route 10, or College Highway, which didn’t have sidewalks. Now the unfinished work has removed this open area for walkers.
The work is about 38 percent complete, according to MassDOT, and the end date is set for May 23, 2018.
On Friday, Ryan Hollister, 42, a computer programmer, walked his dog Piper around the debris leftover from the construction.
“I thought it was supposed to be done by the start of the school year,” Hollister said.
Last school year, Hollister’s children would sometimes ride the bus to school, sometimes he would drive them, and on nice days, they would walk.
This year, Hollister’s 10-year-old daughter will be attending fifth grade. While Hollister said he trusts his daughter to walk to school on her own, he’d feel much better if the project was complete.
The work has taken longer than anticipated thanks to a delay in moving utility lines, according to Andy Pompi, project manager of C&A Construction, the company contracted for the project.
“We did as much contractual work as we could,” Pompi said.
Pompi said his firm vacated the project on May 26, waiting for utility companies to move their service lines.
The project is now waiting on Charter Communications to move a cable line. Communicating with Charter has been difficult, according to Pompi. Charter said work is scheduled and will be completed by Wednesday.
Once the utility work is complete, Pompi said construction of the sidewalk would be finished fairly quickly. To improve the safety of pedestrians during the construction period, there will be signage notifying drivers of foot traffic.
Norris School Principal Aliza Pluta said few students use that route to walk to school at the moment, and many know the construction is still in underway.
Police Lt. Ian Illingsworth said officers, if available, will be out during pick up and drop off throughout the school year.
On half days at school, Pluta said many students will walk to Dunkin’ Donuts or Subway on Route 10, and she routinely calls the Southampton Police Department to make sure an officer is out to make sure kids are safe.
Once the project is complete, Pluta said students will go through a Safe Routes to School training to teach them about safety when walking and biking to school. Pluta said she expects more students to commute to school by walking and biking next school year.
Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.