Nick Aja, of Barre, Vt., stands atop a piece of machinery during construction on Route 113 while his fellow workers confer plans below in Thetford, Vt., on June 3. 2016. (Valley News - Mac Snyder) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.
Nick Aja, of Barre, Vt., stands atop a piece of machinery during construction on Route 113 while his fellow workers confer plans below in Thetford, Vt., on June 3. 2016. (Valley News - Mac Snyder) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.

Thetford — With construction season now in full swing, motorists this week can expect delays due to several road projects throughout the Upper Valley.

The 7.9-mile project to reclaim Route 113 between East Thetford and Route 244 in Post Mills will continue with crews rototilling the existing milled areas, leaving a loose gravel surface on the roadway, according to a news release from project outreach coordinator Francine Perkins.

Travel will be alternating one-way in affected areas, and traffic delays are likely. Motorists were being encouraged to allow extra time for travel.

A similar message applies to the 6.1-mile project to upgrade Route 12 between Whitcomb High School in Bethel and the Shaw’s supermarket in Randolph.

The posted speed limit has been reduced to 40 mph in places where it had been 50 mph within the scope of the project, and there will be three active construction crews this week.

Travel along Route 12 in those areas will also be alternating one-way, with “some lengthy lane closures,” according to a news release from Perkins.

In northern Orange County, a 16-mile resurfacing project along Route 5 between the Hannaford’s supermarket in Bradford and Ryegate will also create some traffic delays this week.

Crews between Newbury and Bradford will be working on the shoulders, and some guardrail work is also anticipated.

Milling between Wells River and Ryegate is also planned to begin this week, and traffic delays are expected.

Last week, the confluence of two projects along Interstate 89 in West Lebanon and White River Junction led to a lengthy backup.

A New Hampshire Department of Transportation work crew closed off one lane of travel to use a bucket truck to inspect the beams and decking of the I-89 bridge over the Connecticut River on Wednesday.

But a work crew in Vermont, just north of the bridge, also had to close a travel land on I-89 to repair a guard rail, and that led to a backup that stretched across the river toward Lebanon, according to Tammy Ellis of the Vermont Agency of Transportation’s District 4 Office in White River Junction.

New Hampshire DOT spokesman Bill Boynton said the bridge inspection was completed Thursday, but that “during the inspection of the southbound bridge there was an area on one of the steel girders that will require repair and a DOT bridge maintenance crew will be coming back in a few weeks to do that work. That hasn’t been scheduled yet.”

Along I-89 in Vermont, a project to replace highway signs also is continuing, and may involve some tree trimming, as well. In all cases, Ellis said, motorists should slow down give to give construction workers plenty of space.

“People need to be aware that people and equipment will be on the side of the road,” she said.

The Vermont AOT also reminded motorists that using a hand-held portable electronic device while driving is illegal, and that talking on a hand-held cellphone while driving through a work zone carries up to a $200 fine with points assessed.

Using a hand-held cellphone while driving is also illegal in New Hampshire.

John Gregg can be reached at jgregg@vnews.com.