LYNN — At a public hearing, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation laid out the process for the implementation of a more than $5 million plan for the reconstruction of a stretch of Lynnfield Street (Route 129) set to begin construction this winter.
The bid price for the project came out to $5.6 million, MassDOT said, according to a copy of the agency’s presentation posted to Facebook by Ward 1 Councilor Wayne Lozzi. Contractor Newport Construction will perform the reconstruction work alongside MassDOT field staff members, with the project intended to finish by June 2025.
The project covers the stretch of Lynnfield Street from Cowdry Avenue to Colonial Avenue, the area adjacent to Sluice Pond. The construction work will entail pavement removal and reconstruction, the construction of Americans with Disabilities Act compliant sidewalk and wheelchair ramps, drainage improvements, the installation of an overhead flashing traffic beacon, the widening and reconstruction of roadway channelization islands, the replacement of pavement markings and traffic signs, and landscaping and other incidental items of work.
As part of the roadway reconstruction, 14 utility poles will be replaced and utility lines will be relocated. The utility work will be performed by National Grid, Crown Castle, Lynn Fire, Comcast, and Verizon, and will require replacement of guy wire anchors and replacement of service feeds. National Grid Gas will also replace 300 feet of gas main.
Newport Construction will be limited to an eight-hour work day Monday through Friday, with the allowable work hours set as between 7 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. No work impacting traffic will be allowed before 9 a.m., and one travel lane in each direction will be maintained at all times. One sidewalk will also remain open.
MassDOT confirmed that pedestrian and vehicle access to properties abutting the road work will be maintained “except for very short periods of time.” When the agency determines it is necessary to restrict property access, the owner will be notified at least 48 hours in advance.
The utility work will be completed in winter 2022 and winter 2023, MassDOT said, and Newport will begin construction in spring 2023. From there, subsurface utility work will occur in spring, summer, and fall 2023 before giving way to roadway reconstruction and paving to binder course the following spring, summer, and fall.
Sidewalk and wheelchair ramp reconstruction is slated for summer and fall 2024, with a paving top course beginning in fall 2024. Final pavement markings will be placed in spring 2025, allowing for clean-up and demobilization later that spring.
Charlie McKenna can be reached at [email protected].