Temporary Bridges Update #21

Wednesday Wrap-Up

Following Tuesday’s late-night tie in of the new section of the Main Street waterline into the Town’s water system, Champlain Construction and Kubricky completed back-filling the excavated waterline and began preparing to turn Main Street back over to the community. Thanks to those who let me know that they appreciated the nighttime water shutoff.

What’s on tap Thursday: Main Street. Champlain Construction will repave the section of Main Street sidewalk that runs from the National Bank of Middlebury across Printers Alley to the Post Office. Kubricky and Champlain Construction will load out their final equipment and return Main Street to its usual travel lanes and restore all parking by the end of the day.

Update: Printers Alley. Printers Alley should reopen to pedestrian traffic by the end of the day Thursday. Printers Alley will remain closed to vehicles. Please use the roadway for walking back and forth to Main Street. I’ve asked Kubricky to fence off the Lazarus foundation. It is not safe to walk through this area. A section of lawn between the rail corridor and the P.O. will also be fenced off.

Looking Ahead. Kubricky will return to Main Street on Thursday, July 20, to begin demolition of the Main Street Bridge and installation of the temporary bridge on Main Street. Demolition will begin Friday evening and continue 24 hours a day through the weekend. The Merchants Row Bridge will be demolished the following weekend. This work is expected to take 3-4 weeks to complete. I’ll be writing with far more detailed information on this next phase as we turn the corner into July.

And Now the Fun Part. Our summer events kick off this weekend with the Vermont Gran Fondo, a bicycling event that its organizers bill as “a non-competitive ride through Vermont’s Green Mountains.” You can find out more about this event at http://vermontgranfondo.com. Then on Saturday, July 8, it’s time for our annual St. Stephen’s Peasant Market. Lots of good stuff has been arriving at St. Stephen’s the past two weeks; I know, I’ve seen it! Festival on the Green returns to the Village Green Sunday, July 9 – Saturday, July 15. And the Lion’s Club Auction takes place on the Village Green on Wednesday, July 19.

Please keep your comments and questions coming. Send me an email at jgish@townofmiddlebury.org and I’ll try to cover it in my next update.