Downtown road work kicks off on lower Stowe Street this week
April 10, 2021 | By Lisa Scagliotti 
Workers dig up lower Stowe Street to replace a water line in late fall 2020. Crews will return to this section to complete a sewer line upgrade, replace the road base, and install a new curb and sidewalk. File photo by Gordon Miller
A new season has officially arrived as road work commences Monday in downtown Waterbury.
The 2021 construction season is expected to see the near-completion of the $21 million Main Street project (some overhead wires and utility poles will remain for removal in 2022).
But before things start rumbling on Main Street, crews from J.A. McDonald this week will be closing off and working on lower Stowe Street between Main Street and Bidwell Lane.
During daytime hours, that stretch of Stowe Street will be closed to through traffic starting Monday, April 12, according to Waterbury’s transportation liaison Barbara Farr.
While it may look like the work done the previous two years on Main Street and side streets, the Stowe Street project is actually a separate project added onto the construction to-do list using the same contractors as the larger project.
The work will involve installing a new sewer line and road base, Farr said. On the west side of the street (the Senior Center side), a new sidewalk with granite curb will be installed.
The section of street should be closed to traffic through Tuesday with work starting near Axel’s Frame Shop. By Wednesday, the road closure is expected to extend from Main Street to the dry bridge. It’s anticipated to continue during the week of April 19.
Signs will be in place to direct traffic and motorists will need to use Bidwell Lane, Railroad Street or Union Street to get around.
Farr said work will stop on Friday afternoons allowing for full traffic access and parking on the weekends.
The final steps for this piece will be paving and curb installation by the end of the month, weather permitting.
Although vehicles will not be allowed in this block during daytime construction hours, pedestrians will have access to local businesses. Parking access to local businesses will be behind the buildings.
Downtown road work picks up where it left off last fall. Lower Stowe Street will be closed to traffic starting this week. File photo by Gordon Miller
This week, school buses and related traffic will be able to get through early in the mornings. April vacation for the school district is the week of April 19. Farr explained that all major work and disruptions on lower Stowe Street from this additional project should be completed by the end of April.
At the same time, crews will begin to mobilize to resume work along Main Street. The three-year project begun in 2019 has rebuilt about a mile of Main Street, added new curbs and sidewalks and replaced underground water and sewer lines. Many of the overhead utility lines will be buried underground.
Work this season will include finishing sidewalks and paving, installing the remaining streetlights, traffic signals and ground markings; landscaping will be completed. Final touches will include installing benches, banners, hanging baskets and informational signs along with trash and recycling receptacles.
The project is 95% federally funded with state and local funding covering the rest.
As work gets under way workers, equipment, and flaggers will be present. Expect minor traffic delays and drive with caution along Main Street and its side streets.
Farr will be issuing regular road work updates over the coming months via email and posting them on Front Porch Forum and the waterburyworks.com project website. Contact her to get on the email list or with any questions: (802)244-4300 or bfarr@waterburyvt.com. Waterbury Roundabout will also post the updates.