SALEM — The reconstruction of two bridges is on schedule, and two more soon will be closed as Salem wraps up a busy construction season.
Engineering director Robert Puff said work on the Lawrence Road bridge over the Spicket River that has been closed since May is on schedule.
"Actually, it's been going pretty well out there," Puff said. "We are on schedule for a mid-November reopening, which has really been the date all along."
Puff said crews will be pouring the concrete for the bridge deck in the coming weeks.
"The next two or three weeks are going to be very busy out there," he said. "Hopefully, by the time we get to October, we'll be in pretty good shape."
Other bridges have been reconstructed much faster than Lawrence Road since Salem began its bridge program, but Puff said this span is more complex. He said he has been very satisfied with the contractors, M.A.S. Bridge and Building of Franklin, Mass.
"This is unlike some of the other bridge projects that really are just precast boxes or relatively small," Puff said. "This is a legitimate bridge in that sense. The span is 60 feet, so there's some real bridge work going on out there and it does take some time."
Commuters have had to find alternate routes around town as the bridge is built. Nearby Cluff Road also was closed for weeks while it was reconstructed, but Puff said it is now open — but still a construction zone. Puff said he hasn't heard many complaints about the detour.
"I'm sure that people have just adapted," he said. "I think there might be a small amount of frustration with Cluff Road and the length of the detour and the time of construction."
The bridge was entirely paid for with state and federal funds, thanks to the state municipally managed bridge program and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Lawrence Road is just one of three bridges being rebuilt this year. Work on replacing a bridge on North Main Street began late last month, and work on a bridge on nearby Emerson Way will begin shortly.
"North Main Street is a pretty short detour, so I don't think it's gong to be too big a deal," Puff said.
The plan is to have North Main Street and Emerson Way finished around the same time as Lawrence Road, Puff said.
"Certainly, by the time the snow flies and we get into the holiday season, we're hoping to be done and gone," Puff said.
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