WEST LEBANON — The Interstate 89 Exit 20 southbound off-ramp will close later than expected as work continues on a multiyear bridge replacement project that has snarled traffic around the interchange.
The New Hampshire Department of Transportation plans to close the ramp between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on either Wednesday, Sept. 9, or Thursday, Sept. 10, to pave it. The department had previously said the closure would happen the previous week.
Weather permitting, the ramp will be closed for only one day and will reopen once paving is complete, department officials said.
Traffic will be detoured south on I-89 to Exit 19 in Lebanon to reverse direction onto I-89 northbound, where the Exit 20 northbound off-ramp can be used.
“Road users should remain alert while traveling through the construction zone and obey all posted signs,” the department stated in a news release.
Work crews were off the road for the Labor Day weekend and were expected to return after the holiday, said Andrew Silovich, a contract administrator with the department.
“We won’t be back on the road until either Tuesday afternoon, more than likely Wednesday morning,” he said in a phone interview.
The closure follows delays that began Monday, when state officials closed one southbound lane of Interstate 89 near Exit 20 in West Lebanon, as previously reported by the Valley News.
R.S. Audley of Bow, N.H., is the prime contractor on the $43 million project, which began in 2020 and is slated for completion this fall. The original completion date was September 2025. Environmental factors pushed the timetable back.
“Some delays with working in the river, dealing with ice flows … got the dirt work and paving side kind of out of sequence,” Silovich said.
To keep up with roadway delays, visit newengland511.org.