Main Street wire comes down, bringing upgrades closer to completion
June 2, 2023 | By Lisa Scagliotti Some progress took place on Main Street this week as the last utility wire attached to the wooden poles that are to be removed came down.
Eustis Cable Enterprises from Brookfield was contracted to do the job for Vermont Telephone Company which owns the wire. This was the final line to come down with its functionality – service to the Mansfield Orthopedics clinic – transferred underground to lines in conduit now buried beneath the sidewalks along Main Street.
Photographer Gordon Miller captured the scenes Wednesday as the Eustice Cable crew removed the line.
The underground utility construction was part of the Main Street project that rebuilt the street, installed new water and sewer lines, and added new sidewalks and street lamps between 2019 and 2021.
A number of overhead lines remained when the groundwork was completed in 2021. All but one were removed in 2022. As this year’s construction season began in April, workers from J.A. McDonald returned to dig out concrete sections around the wood poles that are to come down. McDonald was the lead contractor on the entire Main Street project.
Progress then stalled as no contractor arrived to remove the single wire still attached to poles between the intersection with Stowe Street to just across from the State Office Complex. Initially, state project officials gave June 1 as the target deadline to have all of the work complete, including replacing the sections of sidewalk that were dug out for the pole removal.
Emails obtained by Waterbury Roundabout show a series of messages between staff at the Vermont Agency of Transportation and representatives at VTel with inquiries about the schedule. On May 2, VTel was asked if it would have the line down by the “scheduled” target date of May 5. The exchanges progressed and by mid-month, VTrans staff were pressing that the company prioritize the task as it was holding up the completion of the Waterbury project.
By last week, VTel company president Michel Guite assured VTrans and Waterbury Roundabout that the line removal was imminent.
On Wednesday, May 31, a crew from Eustice Cable Enterprises took just several hours along Main Street to remove the line.
The wooden poles are no longer connected with wires.
Reached afterward, state Roadway Design Project Manager at the Agency of Transportation Ken Upmal said that the remaining steps would be coordinated between Green Mountain Power – the company that owns the poles – and McDonald. Upmal promised to share scheduling updates as he receives them.
Waterbury Public Works Director Bill Woodruff said he expects the companies will be on site as soon as possible given busy summer schedules. He said that the new completion date everyone is aiming for is September 1.