WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Construction of two roundabouts and a new sidewalk on Sykes Mountain Avenue will start next month and wrap up in 2021, town officials said Tuesday.
Signs alerting traffic to the roughly $6.5 million project will go up next week, while roadwork will begin on June 14, officials said during a community forum held via teleconferencing software.
The project will ultimately result in one new roundabout where Sykes Mountain Avenue meets Route 5 and another at the intersection of Ralph Lehman Drive.
Plans also call for a five-foot-wide sidewalk starting at the intersection of Sykes Mountain Avenue and Ralph Lehman Drive and ending about a mile away at the intersection of Butternut Road.
A “green belt” would separate the sidewalk and road, which would see its shoulder widened to four feet to better accommodate cyclists.
“The need for these projects’ really was based on safety,” said Steve Ireland, an engineer with the Concord-based engineering firm McFarland Johnson. He added that the Route 5 intersection has been on the state’s high crash rate report for “multiple years now.”
A 2013 scoping study of the White River Junction neighborhood found that the Sykes intersection with Route 5 saw 28 crashes, which resulted in three injuries, between 2006 and 2010. The intersection sits just a few hundred feet from the exit ramp carrying traffic from both interstate s 91 and 89.
The dual roundabouts will slow traffic while reducing dangerous vehicle interactions that can occur as cars react to changing traffic lights, Ireland said.
The roundabouts also will allow pedestrians to cross more safely. The crossings will be outfitted with rectangular rapid flash beacons, warning lights that can be activated with the push of a button.
Hartford residents Roger and Susan Bloomfield said they regularly eat lunch at the nearby McDonald’s and see a mix of traffic visiting car dealers, the post office or stopping from out-of-state.
“Many of the truckers, passenger cars and pedestrians who use that corner are not local people,” said Susan Bloomfield, who went on to recommend that town officials keep people abreast of construction.
Planning board member Dennis Brown, a former member of the Selectboard, also asked whether the roundabout on Route 5 could accommodate a “welcome to Hartford” sign.
“We’ve done a lot in recent times to make the town more welcoming, so I thought that having a sign like this would add to that,” he said. “I think shrubs are a little boring.”
Ireland said the idea of a sign was brought up with Vermont transportation officials. However, the feature wouldn’t comply with state design guidelines and was shot down.
Access to nearby businesses will be maintained during the construction, officials said.
Route 5 will go down to a single lane in each direction, with a left turn lane remaining available.
Meanwhile, motorists on Sykes Mountain Avenue can expect intermittent alternating one-way traffic.
Officials expect construction to go until December, when work will shut down for the winter. Road work will start up again in March 2021 and then go until October.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.