Town Manager Elaine Lazarus shared an update on the Main Street Corridor Project in Tuesday’s Select Board meeting packet as the work nears completion.
Remaining work includes the transfer of wires from telephones to underground infrastructure, she explained. Verizon is expected to be on-site this week to work on the west side of the project. Comcast is expected to complete its work by the end of June. AT&T is expected onsite at the end of the month and plans to complete its work “in a couple of weeks.”
A.F. Amorello & Sons, the project’s construction company, is hoping to complete plantings in early June.
One question that has surfaced at committee meetings over the past month is when the utility poles will be removed. The removal will improve sidewalk accessibility and increase the picturesque quality of the downtown area.
In an email to the Independent on Monday, Dave Daltorio, the town engineer/facilities manager, shared why there is no concrete timeline for removing the poles yet.
“The old utility poles between the police station and Wood Street will be removed by Verizon once all the overhead utility lines in this area have been removed from the old poles,” he explained. “Currently only Verizon has lines remaining on the old poles in this area. Verizon has started work in this area to remove these lines but has not provided an anticipated schedule for completion of its work in this area.
“Verizon may remove old poles in this area as their work progresses, or they may wait to remove all the old poles on the project when they’ve completed all of their work on the project,” he added. “They have not informed the town regarding how they will be proceeding.”
Daltorio stated that the old utility poles between the police station and Ash Street will be removed “when all utilities have provided customers with new underground service and all overhead lines in this area have been removed.”
He said Comcast is striving to complete its work by the end of June but stressed that Verizon can’t start its work until Comcast is done.
“Once Comcast completes its work on the project, anticipated to be the end of June, the town believes Verizon will be able to provide a schedule for the completion of its work, including the removal of old utility poles,” he stated.
Added Daltorio: “The town and MassDOT have been and will continue to communicate with Comcast and Verizon to complete their work as expeditiously as possible.”
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