Route 125 in Haverhill closed at night next week

By Shawn Regan
sregan@eagletribune.com

September 04, 2008 02:09 am

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HAVERHILL — It's one of the most heavily traveled stretches of road in the city — Central Square in Bradford, just south of the Basiliere Bridge.

Drivers who use that section of Route 125 at night will face detours next week so workers can make preparations for a new McDonald's.

The stretch will be closed to traffic in both directions for up to four days starting Monday or Tuesday, the mayor's chief of staff, Andrew Herlihy, said yesterday.

The road will be closed from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m., while workers install new sewer, gas and water lines in the road for the new McDonald's being built in place of the old one on South Main Street. The former fast-food restaurant was recently torn down and is being replaced by a modern one with a new, easier to navigate drive-up window.

Northbound and southbound traffic will be rerouted around the Route 125 stretch onto side streets, Herlihy said. Traffic from one direction will use South Pleasant Street to Chadwick Street to Middlesex Street, which forms a short loop around the back of the McDonald's site. Traffic coming from the opposite direction will use Inland Street to Ferry Street, which also forms a short loop around that stretch of Route 125.

The city will release detailed detour information today, as well as information about whether the project will start Monday or Tuesday, Herlihy said.

The McDonald's restaurant has been a fixture since the early 1970s. After it was established there, several other businesses moved in, bringing competition. They include Wendy's, Heav'nly Donuts and a Dunkin' Donuts next to Basiliere Bridge.

"The plans we've seen are very similar in nature to the old building, only a bit narrower," Economic Development Director William Pillsbury said in a previous interview about the McDonald's project. "We had some contractors and engineers come in and talk to us over the last few months. The good news is they want to do it as expeditiously as possible and get the new operation up and running."

A fence in front of McDonald's prevents customers from entering the property from busy South Main Street. A large sign near the sidewalk reads, "We are proud to provide you with a brand new McDonald's look." The sign also says, "Opening in late Fall 2008."