WINDHAM — Traffic delays are expected for two more months on Route 111 at the Interstate 93 northbound ramps.
The delays should end with the completion of the Route 111 bypass project — construction of two lanes in each direction from Zachary's Crossing in Salem to the I-93 northbound ramp in Windham.
The project began in 2003.
"We do see the light at the end of the tunnel," DOT engineer Conrad Skov said Friday.
Skov was overseeing work Friday at the intersection of Routes 111 and 111A, where police officers directed traffic near newly spread asphalt. Loud dump trucks raised dust as they passed.
"It's going to be busy here the next couple months," said Skov, who has been on the project since the beginning.
The longest delays extend eastbound from Dunkin' Donuts on Route 111 to the I-93 northbound ramps.
At 12:30 p.m. Friday, it took 15 minutes between those points, less than a mile apart.
Meanwhile, utility companies have relocated underground and above-ground utilities. Most of that work is done, clearing the way for the road widening and other improvements.
Skov said there will be a few more temporary roads constructed at the Routes 111 and 111A intersection. Motorists get frustrated when they see the new asphalt dug up. But the roads are temporary by design, for rerouting traffic to make room for other work, he said.
A main reason for the bypass was to relieve traffic congestion at the intersection of Routes 28 and 111. That has happened, Skov said.
In addition, traffic has been reduced on Shadow Lake Road.
The end of the project coincides with the start of the Exit 3 interchange reconstruction, part of the I-93 widening project.
