2022 utility work kicks off Main Street redux
April 1, 2022 | By Fuller O. Paine
Workers in September 2020 lay underground conduit to bury utility lines along Main Street. Photo by Gordon Miller
Anticipating the arrival of warmer weather, multiple communications and power utilities have begun scheduling crews to return to Waterbury to take down overhead wires for the final phase of the Main Street reconstruction project.
The overhead lines are to be replaced with new wires fed through underground conduits placed under Main Street and sections of sidewalk in downtown Waterbury during the three-year construction project that finished last summer.
However, much to the surprise of utility company officials at a recent site visit, they have discovered two problems.
First, the conduits are much too small to carry the number of lines that need to be put underground. Secondly, not all of the conduits are connected to the correct above-ground utility boxes, according to VTrans spokesman A.S. Fault.
Utility conduit is installed along Bidwell Lane in May 2020. Photo by Gordon Miller
The final plans called for taking down the remaining overhead lines from Stowe Street to the State Office Complex. Once new lines are fed underground, the old wooden utility poles were to be removed. Project planners touted how the result would be much less visual clutter along Main Street.
Following the site visit, town officials consulted with VTrans and the utility company supervisors and then turned to J.A. McDonald, the lead contractor for the Main Street project.
Further checking determined that the only way to correct the errors is to completely tear up multiple sections of Main Street and replace the conduit. Town officials expressed disappointment, acknowledging how unpopular this development will be with local residents and businesses.
McDonald representatives said they would make the project a top priority but given state permitting requirements, digging may not begin until late summer. Fault said a conservative timeline would mean wrapping up in 2024. “We don’t want to make promises we can’t keep,” Fault said. “If we say summer 2024 and finish sooner, people will be happy.”
Fuller O. Paine is an April Fool’s Day correspondent for Waterbury Roundabout.