Groundbreaking for the long-awaited Route 72 extension is slated to take place on Monday.
The ceremony, originally slated for last year, is scheduled to take place in the Todd Street commuter parking lot at 3:30 p.m.
State Rep. Frank Nicastro, a Democrat whose 79th District includes the proposed roadway, said he’s glad to see it getting started at last.
The $60 million project is slated to begin this month and take 19 months to complete a 2.4-mile extension from the end of the expressway in Plainville to Riverside Avenue just south of the railroad bridge on Middle Street.
State and city officials, including Gov. Jodi Rell, are expected to attend the groundbreaking.
The New Britain-based Manafort Brothers got the contract in August to carry out the work.
The new four-lane road will run between the end of the expressway in Plainville and Middle Street, crossing a new bridge over the Pequabuck River in the process.
The new road will feature a sunken, boulevard-type street slicing through a residential section between Route 372 in Plainville and Yarde's Pond, which is beside the commuter lot on Todd Street where Rell spoke Tuesday. Parts of it will be as much as 17 feet beneath the surrounding terrain.
After that section, the four-lane road will follow the existing right of way on Pine Street before crossing a new Pequabuck River bridge in order to align directly with Riverside Avenue.
Ten intersections with traffic lights will be included along the new road.
*******
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
No comments:
Post a Comment