Town Plan

No planned closures this week.

I-91

Northbound I-91 traffic has been relocated onto the southbound bridge. Traffic will remain reduced to one lane in each direction on I-91 until completion of the new bridge. The new bridge will be 104’ wide and is designed to carry all four lanes of traffic –two northbound and two southbound.

Route 30

The speed limit on Route 30 near the work zone has been reduced to 40 mph. This reduction will remain in effect through the Spring of 2016.

Project-related truck activity on Route 30 will continue. Route 30 will be reduced to a single lane intermittently both day and night, with flaggers regulating traffic within the work zone.

Due to this week’s inclement weather, we may need to drive pile Saturday at Bridge 8 adjacent to Upper Dummerston. We understand that the noise from the pile driving may affect people in the area. Unfortunately, this is a situation we cannot avoid because of equipment availability limitations. We will wait until 9:00 AM to begin driving operations. Thank you in advance for your understanding.

Upper Dummerston Road Closure Update: October 29th 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Based on weather forecasts, the closure of Upper Dummerston Road has been rescheduled to Wednesday, October 29th, from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM to allow work on the new bridge that will span Upper Dummerston Road. If this closure needs to be rescheduled due to weather, we will inform stakeholders a minimum of 72 hours in advance after the team is able to confirm forecasted weather conditions are acceptable for work to proceed.

A community discussion on ways to revitalize West Brattleboro will be held on Thursday, October 23rd at
7:00 pm.  This will be facilitated by the West Brattleboro Association (WBA) and will be held in the Community Room of Hayes Court on Garfield Drive (just west of the West Brattleboro Post Office).

The group invites any and all to come learn about and discuss the report “Revitalizing Southern Vermont’s
Villages – West Brattleboro”. This report has been made available by the Windham Regional Commission and the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation. Particular items planned for discussion are the four key strategies listed in the report, which was put together with input from the WBA and the West Brattleboro Master Plan. Those strategies are: Support Community Development; Enhance the Streetscape; Improve Pedestrian and Bicycle Connectivity; and Support Economic Development.

The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting ad hoc Futures Committee will meet on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 6:00pm in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

I-91 Northbound Closure for Pothole Repair: Monday Night, October 20th

I-91 Northbound between exits 2 and 3 will be closed to all traffic to complete pothole repair in advance of the winter season. This work is scheduled starting at 8:00 pm Monday October 20th through Tuesday morning, October 21 at 6:00 am. Traffic will be routed onto Route 5, and law enforcement officials will be on site. If this closure needs to be rescheduled due to weather, we will inform stakeholders a minimum of 72 hours in advance after the team is able to confirm forecasted weather conditions are acceptable for work to proceed.

Upper Dummerston Road Closure: October 27th 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Upper Dummerston Road will closed on Monday, October 27th, from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM to allow work on the new bridge that will span Upper Dummerston Road. If this closure needs to be rescheduled due to weather, we will inform stakeholders a minimum of 72 hours in advance after the team is able to confirm forecasted weather conditions are acceptable for work to proceed.

I-91 Northbound Closure for Pothole Repair

I-91 Northbound between exits 2 and 3 will be closed to all traffic to complete pothole repair in advance of the winter season. This work is scheduled for Monday October 20th between 8 pm and 6 am. The actual closure date will be communicated to stakeholders at least 72 hours in advance after the team is able to confirm forecasted weather conditions are acceptable for work to proceed. Traffic will be routed onto Route 5, and law enforcement officials will be on hand.

Columbus Day Weekend Traffic Alert

Please be aware that there are likely to be traffic delays on I-91 between Exits 1 and 4 both northbound and southbound over the course of the three-day holiday weekend. These delays are due to high traffic volumes. Route 5 is an alternate route.

The PCL+FIGG Team will conduct the next on-site “trail talk” for the Public on Saturday, October 11, 2014. These trail talks will discuss the status of the I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Project and allow the public to ask questions. The talks will originate at the West River Trail near the marina. The trail talk will be led by Caleb Linn, Project Manager for PCL (lead contractor), and Garrett Hoffman, Design Manager for FIGG (bridge designer).

Interested participants should meet the PCL+FIGG Team at the West River Trail trailhead on Saturday, October 11, 2014, at 8 a.m. and the talk will begin at 8:15 a.m. Participants will walk the trail to the I-91 bridge site, so please wear appropriate clothing and footwear.

BRATTLEBORO – Oct. 3, 2014: The Windham Regional Commission (WRC) and the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) invite Brattleboro businesses, employees and homeowners to attend a community forum on October 15 to learn about a project studying the Whetstone Brook and to gather community input on ways to protect business and the local economy from future floods.

The community forum is the first step in a project called the Vermont Economic Resiliency Initiative or VERI. The VERI project is designed to help Brattleboro evaluate the flood risk to business and infrastructure (roads, bridges, utilities), and identify the steps Brattleboro and the state can take to minimize rebuilding and recovery costs and ensure businesses stay open—saving jobs and protecting the economy. The project is modeled on the success of a similar project in Bennington that reduced the flood impacts of Tropical Storm Irene and saved the town and businesses millions of dollars in economic damages.

I-91

Northbound I-91 traffic has been relocated onto the southbound bridge. Traffic will remain reduced to one lane in each direction on I-91 until completion of the new bridge. The new bridge will be 104’ wide and is designed to carry all four lanes of traffic –two northbound and two southbound.

Route 30

The speed limit on Route 30 near the work zone has been reduced to 40 mph. This reduction will remain in effect through the Spring of 2016.

Project-related truck activity on Route 30 will continue. Route 30 will be reduced to a single lane intermittently both day and night, with flaggers regulating traffic within the work zone.

I-91

Northbound I-91 traffic has been relocated onto the southbound bridge. Traffic will remain reduced to one lane in each direction on I-91 until completion of the new bridge. The new bridge will be 104’ wide and is designed to carry all four lanes of traffic –two northbound and two southbound.

Route 30

The speed limit on Route 30 near the work zone has been reduced to 40 mph. This reduction will remain in effect through the Spring of 2016.

Project-related truck activity on Route 30 will continue. Route 30 will be reduced to a single lane intermittently both day and night, with flaggers regulating traffic within the work zone.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions for the future life of Melrose Terrace. They came via email, mail, phone, in person, and here on ibrattleboro. Some are practical, some fanciful, some a bit tongue-in-cheek, but we asked for all ideas. There were a few that have not been included because they clearly were sarcastic comments on the process and those involved.

The ideas seemed to run on a continuum – leave it as for housing or another use to modified to active open space to natural open space to complete redevelopment. Many of the ideas blend between the categories. Many ideas are similar but all have been included because they have a slightly different approach.

I-91

Northbound I-91 traffic has been relocated onto the southbound bridge. Traffic will remain reduced to one lane in each direction on I-91 until completion of the new bridge. The new bridge will be 104’ wide and is designed to carry all four lanes of traffic –two northbound and two southbound.

Route 30

The speed limit on Route 30 near the work zone has been reduced to 40 mph. This reduction will remain in effect through the Spring of 2016.

Project-related truck activity on Route 30 will continue. Route 30 will be reduced to a single lane intermittently both day and night, with flaggers regulating traffic within the work zone.

What is really behind the battlelines over this park? Is any decision a good decision? Over time the amount of skatepark comments on iBrattleboro really overwhelmed its readership; it also exposed one of the deepest rifts seen in this microcosm of our community.

How could such a small community be so glaringly and bitterly divided for so long over what should have been a relatively simple matter?Two recent columns in the Reformer make the case for Elm Street as well as I’ve read anywhere on this topic of a skatepark site. Is it too late, or will we really putting this park out at Living Memorial?

The Department of Public Works has closed Lower Green Street from Retting Place to High Street until further notice. An exception of the Lower Green Street entrance from High Street will temporarily be two way traffic only to allow entrance to the side of the building located at 22 – 26 High Street. There will be no through traffic allowed.

A stone retaining wall below lower Green Street is failing and the roadway is being closed for public safety.

Today (Monday) a section of Harmony Parking Lot will be closed so D&E Tree can remove trees on the bank between the Harmony Lot and Green Street. The parking lot is expected to be fully opened by noontime today.

The Green Street road closing and tree removal are all part of an immediate public safety plan.

The PCL+FIGG Team will conduct the next on-site “trail talk” for the Public on Saturday, September 13, 2014. These trail talks will discuss the status of the I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Project and allow the public to ask questions. The talks will originate at the West River Trail near the marina. The trail talk will be led by Caleb Linn, Project Manager for PCL (lead contractor).

Interested participants should meet the PCL+FIGG Team at the West River Trail trailhead on Saturday, September 13, 2014, at 8 a.m. and the talk will begin at 8:15 a.m. Participants will walk the trail to the I- 91 bridge site, so please wear appropriate clothing and footwear.

I-91

Northbound I-91 traffic has been relocated onto the southbound bridge. Traffic will remain reduced to one lane in each direction on I-91 until completion of the new bridge. The new bridge will be 104’ wide and is designed to carry all four lanes of traffic –two northbound and two southbound.

Route 30

The speed limit on Route 30 near the work zone has been reduced to 40 mph. This reduction will remain in effect through the Spring of 2016.

Project-related truck activity on Route 30 will continue. Route 30 will be reduced to a single lane intermittently both day and night, with flaggers regulating traffic within the work zone.

Somewhere in the Klingon neutral zone, a ship of civilians reels and thrashes on the verge of destruction. A distress signal is sent out to all sectors. A Starfleet commander in the vicinity picks up the cry for help, and ponders his next move. If he rescues the ship, the act will surely be seen as a forbidden territorial intrusion, unleashing hostility. If he does nothing, the innocent inhabitants of the vessel will surely die. What is the correct call?

For the sake of a little galactic perspective, let’s rouse the development division, and contract a rewrite.

August 26, 2014

Paving on the four remaining streets of Birge, Guilford, Chapin and Grove has once again been delayed by the contractor and is now scheduled for Thursday, August 28.

Brattleboro Public Works