HAVERHILL — If you dare, try taking a walk along Route 125 in Bradford, near Academy Lanes Plaza.
You'd best schedule your walk during the day, because the cars and trucks on this busy state road whiz by at high rates of speed, sometimes going 50 mph where the speed limit calls for 30 mph. On that stretch of the road, also known as South Main Street, there isn't a sidewalk on either side.
Within the next three years, this treacherous walk will be a thing of the past. The long-awaited rebuilding of South Main Street is moving forward and when the work is done, there will be sidewalks on both sides of the road.
Traffic signals will also be improved. A full, three-way signal will replace the flashing yellow lights at Route 125 and Laurel Avenue, and also in Bradford Square. Middlesex and South Main streets on the Bradford side of the Basiliere Bridge will also be "fully signalized," according to City Engineer John Pettis.
The state's plan to invest millions of dollars to rebuild Route 125 in Bradford has been talked about for years. Businesses and residents have been waiting for the first shovel of dirt to be moved on a project that was supposed to bring a smoother ride for drivers, and ease the nuisance of having to wait in long lines of traffic.
The wait is over. The project will finally begin in the spring. The state has announced it will invest $14.6 million to reconstruct the road.
The project calls for new pavement over 2.2 miles from the south side of Basiliere Bridge to Boston Road, near the North Andover line, as well as a half-mile of Salem Street from Route 125 to Peabody Street.
"It's been a long time coming, but this will be a good thing," said Ernest DiBurro, owner of Academy Lanes. He noted there are apartment houses right across the street from his place of business and that means lots of children in the area.
"Let's hope they don't find a way to put it on the back burner," DiBurro said, noting the project has been put off for many years.
"This project is in design and is scheduled to be advertised for construction bids in August of 2010," said Adam Hurtubise, spokesman for the state Executive Office of Transportation.
A design public hearing, held by the state Highway Department, will be Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. in Room 301 of City Hall.
The project will improve the pavement, traffic signals and drainage along South Main Street and add sidewalks, curbs and trees on both sides of the road. The sidewalks will be made of cement, with granite curbs.
Pettis, who will be working with MassHighway during the construction, said the state will pay 20 percent of the cost, while the federal government will provide the remaining 80 percent. Pettis said construction will likely start next spring and extend through the rest of 2010 and into 2011 and 2012.
To minimize the impact of the road work, the project will take place in segments, Pettis said. It has not been determined how the portions will be broken up, he added.
If you want to get a good idea of what the finished project will look like, Pettis suggested taking a drive — or walk — along the section of Salem Street between Peabody Street and the Groveland town line. Completed in 2007 after a two-year effort, that part of Salem Street affords a much smoother ride, improved drainage has reduced the runoff that used to flow over the road — and sidewalks on both sides of the street make walking much safer.
While the state is rebuilding South Main and the west end of Salem Street, the city water and wastewater departments will replace pipes along those roads. At present, the storm drains flow into the sewage treatment plan. The city is required by state and federal environmental agencies to redirect the storm water from the plant to prevent combined sewer overflow, said Robert Ward, superintendent of the water and wastewater departments.
Oil/water separators installed in the new storm drains will prevent automotive fluids and other pollutants from finding their way into the river, Ward said.
Meanwhile, the Water Department will clean a 12-inch main pipe that runs along South Main from Middlesex Avenue to Laurel Avenue, and replace a 12-inch main with a 16-inch pipe from Laurel Avenue to Boston Road, Ward said.
Pettis said the construction will cause at least some disruption to residents' routines, but when the work is done, he predicted they'll be pleased with the results.
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