SWAMPSCOTT — Sewer work beginning today along Essex Street at Danvers Road means significant traffic delays at the intersection for up to two weeks.
Workers will re-lay sewer mains along a 300-yard stretch of Essex Street. One traffic lane will be open while work is underway, but town Public Works Director Gino Cresta said drivers using Essex can expect long delays.
Cresta and police Lt. Thomas Stephens urged drivers to consider plotting routes taking them down Paradise Road or Highland Avenue.
Cresta said no specific detours are planned for the work but Stephens said Lynn-bound motorists who elect to travel Essex Street could be diverted onto Danvers Road. Salem-bound drivers traveling Essex could be diverted onto Stetson Avenue.
The sewer main replacement work is part of the town’s ambitious, 10-year plan to replace or reline town sewer mains. The work costing upwards of $2 million every other year is aimed at reducing outflow from Stacey’s Brook into the ocean.
Cresta said the Essex Street main is made from clay and one of several around town prioritized for replacement. He said the busy intersection’s proximity to Swampscott High School prompted town officials to schedule the work before school starts.
