News

Gray Bypass construction ahead of schedule
By Elizabeth Prata

It was a project 40 years in the planning but it's being finished fast. It is the Gray Bypass, or 'Gray Connector' as the Department of Transportation titles it, and if the weather holds, most of it will be finished this construction season.Below, the Rt. 115/202 turnpike overpass bridge work on Tuesday.

The intersection in Gray Village is termed a Level F, or failed, intersection. This means that at peak times, traffic does not move through efficiently or safely. Five state routes converge on a geographically constricted area, and with increasing vehicular and heavy truck traffic, sometimes it doesn't move through at all.

The Bypass is designed as a high-speed, low curb cut throughway which will take some of the traffic load headed north on Rt. 26 from the Turnpike and Rt. 115 away from the Village.

"We have dodged a bullet with the weather," said Project Manager Shawn Smith. "So far we are on budget and on time." The project is budgeted at 7.3 million. The Route 202 work is completed to a 35% level, and the Rt. 26 roadwork has been completed to a 20% level. The Bypass road is 55% completed, and about 4,000 feel is already paved."

Smith said that the work on the turnpike bridge by Exit 63 will be one-way traffic "for a while, unfortunately." Traffic was backed up almost to Ramsdell Road mid-day Tuesday.

By contract the project is supposed to be completed by November 2006 and the Bypass by June 2007.