HADLEY — The multimillion-dollar Route 9 reconstruction project broke ground this week, just in time for some of the heaviest traffic weekends of the year, including commencements, Mother’s Day and Memorial Day.
This phase of the project will widen Russell Street (Route 9) between Whalley and Middle streets.
The town is expected to pay about $260,000 of the project’s $3 million tab, which involves widening the road and work on municipal infrastructure underground, including water lines, said Town Administrator David G. Nixon.
“It’s a great opportunity for the town,” Nixon said, adding that Hadley saves nearly $100,000 by collaborating with the state on the project. “Some of our water lines are over 100 years old.”
Nixon said the town will continue to collaborate with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation in this fashion as they phase in work further east on Route 9 over the next decade.
At a meeting last week, Select Board members agreed they will have to watch traffic issues carefully as the project moves along, especially given numerous traffic complaints during the first flea market of the season on April 17 at 45 Lawrence Plain Road.
“It was terrible,” said Police Chief Michael Mason, adding that he got 30 to 40 calls with complaints.
He added that the Bay Road bridge repair project didn’t help because it has reduced the road to one lane.
As for Route 9 work, Department of Public Works Director Marlo Warner said early work includes replacing natural gas lines. Road reconstruction will not begin until June.
Warner said the timeline has also changed now that the MassDOT sees the work as a full reconstruction of the road, the end date for the project is not until Sept. 9, 2017.
“They don’t expect a lot of delays,” said Warner, adding MassDOT promised to keep the lanes level to ensure ease of travel in the meantime. “They don’t plan on shutting down the road at all — they assured us it wasn’t going to be a large impact.”
But board members and other officials in the room were skeptical about that point.
“We all live here and we know what actually transpires,” said building commissioner Timothy Neyhart, referring to a PVTA bus breakdown at Town Hall recently caused traffic congestion all the way east to the Hampshire Mall. “I think they’re kind of unrealistic to say there’s not going to be any backups.”
As concerns were raised about traffic and the upcoming college graduation season, Select Board member Joyce A. Chunglo said she hopes to see the state step up with money for additional police staffing.
“It’s up to (the state) to provide coverage,” she said. “It’s their project so they’ll have to hire the officers.”
Nixon said that while the construction will be an inconvenience, it is allowing the town to piggyback on the state’s project and address aging infrastructure.
“We’re going to have to work together on this,” he said.
Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.