(Photo/MassDOT)
GRAFTON – Residents who live around the Millbury Street Elementary School heard preliminary plans on how the town and the state’s Department of Transportation (MassDOT) plan to improve Millbury Street.
During a public hearing on Sept. 20 officials from MassDOT’s Highway Division unveiled the 25% design plans, which are more specific.
The project would stretch about 3,600 feet – from Sean Mikeal Way, near the Millbury town line, to Crosby Road near the school. It would include the installation of sidewalks, crosswalks with flashing beacons and bike lanes.
MassDOT officials announced the current project is estimated to be around $3 million, including $1.9 million to come from the Federal Highway Administration, $576,000 from the state and $459,000 from the town of Grafton.
Linda Walsh, supervising project manager for MassDOT’s project section, said the estimate is “subject to change as the plans are developed.”
Walsh added that Grafton would be responsible for right-of-way acquisition costs.
What is proposed
According to Keith Lincoln, the design consultant of Chappell Engineering, this part of Millbury Street does not have sidewalks or bike lanes and has excessively wide travel lanes, which encourages traveling at higher speeds.
The project would narrow the travel lanes from 15 feet wide to 11 feet each way. This would allow for 5-foot-wide sidewalks and 5-foot bike lanes each way.
There will also be two crosswalks with rapid rectangular flashing beacons.
Plans also call for relocating a utility pole and temporary construction easements.
According to MassDOT, 38 temporary easements will be required. The property owners along the proposed project will be notified by the town once the right-of-way plans are approved by MassDOT.
Property owners would also be notified should any trees need to be removed.
Project timeline
MassDOT said once the plans are finalized, the project would proceed in two phases – construction of the sidewalks, followed by the milling and paving of the roadway, which will require the road to be closed and detours created.
The agency said that 75% design plans are scheduled to be done in November, and should all permits and plans be filed and approved on time, construction could begin in mid-2024.
Lincoln said that in an “ideal scenario,” construction could start in spring 2024 and last one season.
Comments on the project may be emailed to [email protected], or sent to Carrie Lavallee, P.E. Chief Engineer, MassDOT, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116, Attn: Project Management, File No. 609528
For project information, visit https://www.mass.gov/massdot-highway-design-public-hearings
To view the documents, visit https://www.grafton-ma.gov/home/news/massdot-documents-millbury-street-and-crosby-road-project, or https://www.mass.gov/doc/massdot-meeting-handout-grafton-srts-092022/download
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