Few complaints for first stage of Nahant Causeway project

NAHANT – It’s been almost a month since the Nahant Causeway reconstruction project got underway and there have been surprisingly few complaints, according to town officials.Police Lt. Thomas Hutton said the Causeway construction has reduced the number of parking spaces for the beach but it hasn’t had a lot of impact on traffic.?It’s working out very well,” Hutton said. “It’s going better than we expected and we’ve had very few complaints about traffic and delays due to work. The few complaints we’ve had have been about the parking lot being full.”The $20 million roadway reconstruction project officially got underway June 10. It involves widening Causeway road lanes, installing historic-style light posts and providing a 4-foot-wide bicycle riding shoulder along the Causeway.Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Spokesman Wendy Fox said the work is progressing on schedule.The project is currently still in the first phase and some of the objectives have already been completed, she said, adding Phase 1 should be completed by this fall.?The lighting is up in the (Nahant Beach Reservation) parking lot,” she said. “We’re about halfway through with removing the old wall and everything is on schedule or a little bit ahead of schedule,” she said.Fox said sometime this week traffic heading into Lynn from the beach parking lot would use a new exit.?Traffic will be channeled past the Ward Bath House to the new exit,” she said.The seven-phase project is expected to take three years to complete. Fox said the project is being done in phases to minimize the impact on residents and beach patrons. She added the Nahant Beach Reservation would remain open from Memorial Day through Labor Day.?After Labor Day two lanes of traffic will be re-routed through the (Nahant Beach Reservation) parking lot,” she said. “Construction will start on the Harborside and work towards the Reservation. We will maintain two travel lanes in each direction during all phases of the construction.”The second phase of the construction project is expected to get underway this fall and continue through the spring of 2011. Phase 2 includes repairing the seawall, removing the existing light poles on the harbor side of the Causeway, drainage and reconstruction of the southbound travel lanes.QUICK FACTS:First Phase of the Nahant Causeway Rehabilitation Project:- Remove Wall between Causeway and Reservation- Modify Existing Utilities (Water)- Establish Temporary Travel Lanes (separated by barrier)- Install Temporary Lighting System- Install Temporary Drainage- Install Temporary Pavement Markings- Shift Traffic to Temporary Roadways