Update Issued On Exit 3 Projects

Town officials in Salem were informed Monday night about the many millions of dollars the state is anticipating spending in the coming years as they attempt to end the Interstate 93 widening project.

I-93 project manager Peter Stamnas gave an extensive update about ongoing work along the major traffic corridor and also discussed what is expected to come. By 2020, Stamnas said the entire project should be complete.

For the priority mainline projects, Stamnas estimated $342 million in estimated costs with $209 million either active or completed, representing about 60 percent.

Three major projects as part of the recent $115 million bond issue were outlined by Stamnas Monday night.

Two of the projects will mostly take place in Windham, the first of which will reconstruct three miles of southbound lanes near Exit 3, relocate 1.25 miles of Route 111 and reconstruct the Exit 3 southbound on ramp. That $42 million project will be advertised in July with an expected completion of 2016.

Work on that project should extend to Salem at the Brookdale Road bridge, Stamnas said.

He also said the remaining project will finalize all work from Exit 3 south on I-93. That will see work on two miles of northbound lanes near Exit 3, work on north and southbound tie-ins and the relocation of a half-mile of Route 111A. A $37 million project, it is expected to be completed in 2016.

A third project will take place in Salem and involve a $40 million reconstruction along Pelham Road at Exit 2. Bids for that project are expected to be unsealed next month.

The project will widen about 1.5 miles of the interstate near Exit 2, replace two red-listed bridges and widen Pelham Road from Stiles Road to the Policy Street intersection.

Stamnas stressed the entry points for the southbound ramps at Exit 2 will be "reversed throughout construction to accomodate traffic."

Stamnas anticipated that work could begin as soon as August with an expected completion of 2015.

"Exit 2 is going to be a challenge," Stamnas said. "It's tight quarters and there will be a lot of shifting."

Elsewhere, Stamnas said mainline work near Exit 1 is anticipated to be finished in 2013.

He expects there will once again be many traffic shifts this construction season and hopes to keep motorists informed about those shifts.