Paving operations are scheduled to commence in early July on sections of Main St, Lowell Rd, Willow St, Heald St, and select streets within “The Pines." It is anticipated that this phase of road work will be completed by the end of July 2022.
With DPW crews having completed the prep work on the water, sewer and drainage structures on these streets, the towns paving contractor - PJ Keating (PJK) - will be in town starting July 5th . PJK will mill and pave Main Street from Town Hall to the Peter Fitz and from the rotary to the Main Street Bridge. The rotary is currently under consideration for a grant for upgrades to the handicap ramps, crosswalks and sidewalks, and if this grant is awarded, the roadway itself will be resurfaced at a later date. Lowell Road will be milled and paved from the culvert near Lowell Street to approximately Jersey Street. Select streets in “The Pines” will be paved upon completion of the Lowell Road paving operations. Willow St and a small section of Jewett St will be paved after the Pines, and then a section of Heald Street will be resurfaced in preparation for the culvert replacement later this summer.
Utility castings (catch basin and manhole covers) on these streets may be raised/exposed until paving is completed, and there will be transition joints at the limits of work for each section. Although these features will be marked with orange paint, drivers are urged to exercise caution when travelling these roads after milling and before paving. Milling operations are moderately noisy and dusty, and are not weather dependent, barring heavy rains.
Paving operations will typically occur within 3 days of the milling, and are weather dependent. Due to the high levels of traffic on Main Street and Lowell Road, a series of road closures and/or detours will be utilized to facilitate operations. Electronic Message Boards will be deployed and updated regularly to alert motorists to these restrictions, and police details and DPW staff will be posted throughout the construction limits to direct motorists.
Motorists can expect delays, and we recommend that vehicle trips be minimized and consolidated to the greatest extent practicable. Businesses and their customers may experience temporary (2-4 hour) impacts to access and parking areas. Access to and from residences will be maintained, but there will be unavoidable temporary ‘blockages’ as the construction equipment passes by each driveway. We urge residents to notify the Highway Dept (978-433-5735 or at highway@town.pepperell.ma.us) if they have a particular issue that requires access at specific dates/times so that these can be accommodated.
Please note that freshly placed pavement requires sufficient time to set up. This time period varies with ambient temperature and thickness of the pavement mat, but 27-72 hours is typically sufficient. We ask that drivers help to protect this investment by trying to avoid making sharp turns and ‘sawing’ the steering wheel when maneuvering, as this can tear the freshly placed wear surface. Newly paved roads are also subject to a 3-year moratorium for street openings i.e. construction that involves cutting or removing pavement (click here for more info link to Hwy regs page). Temporary center line markings will be placed immediately after paving, and we anticipate painted lines to be placed within 2 weeks of completion of all paving operations.
For questions or more information, please contact the DPW office (978-433-0327) or the Highway Dept at 978-433-5735.