Minuteman Road Club

I swear I saw an article in the Worcester paper the other day about them closing the auto road for a while to run utility lines. Not sure if some portion may remain open to bike traffic or what the timeframe is. Haven't been able to find the article on-line yet, but figured I'd make people aware of it.

I didn't read about this but I heard the same thing from a pretty reliable source. I was told it could impact the finish at this year's Longsjo mountain stage.

The Telegram had an article saying the road race (running) will be going up the trails instead of the road for the next 2 years because of the construction on the road.

I was there today will make a new post to draw more attention
D

SUNDAY TELEGRAM
Worcester, Mass.
May 10, 2009
LOCAL NEWS: Page B1

Power line work to start
Electrical wires up mountain

By Paula J. Owen
CORRESPONDENT

PRINCETON - Work will begin tomorrow to bury electrical wires under the center of the roadway up Mount Wachusett, according to the state Department of Conservation and Recreation. A shipping delay for materials stalled the project for a few weeks.

Wendy E. Fox, press secretary at the DCR, said the $800,000 project is scheduled to be completed in July, but it also depends on the weather. The work was supposed to begin April 15.

The road will be closed until the project is complete, she said, but visitors to the mountain will still be able to use the trail system.

The DCR stepped up efforts on the project after the December ice storm permanently destroyed the old wire. The mile-long wire, more than 70 years old, hung precariously over the trail system in the state reservation and posed a risk to hikers' safety, according to Jonathan V. Fitch, manager of the municipal light plant. After the ice storm, the issue became one of homeland security, said Raul F. Silva, deputy chief engineer at the DCR.

Mr. Silva said 23 state and seven federal agencies, including the state police and U.S. Department of Homeland Security, use communication towers and equipment at the summit, and the DCR was given explicit direction to maintain power at the site because of public safety and security risks.

The DCR had been considering options of what to do with the wire when a $7 million project for improvements to the summit and roadway gets under way next year.

Contractor Stantec Consulting Services of Boston completed permit and design work; Warner Brothers Construction of Sunderland and the Princeton Municipal Light Department will install the line under the road, Ms. Fox said. The town's light department will receive $150,000 for the work, she said. Engineering designs were complete a month ago.

The project, she added, did not require review under the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act.

"They suggested we bury the line down the middle of the road to minimize the impact," she said. "It made the project easier because the contractor knows exactly where to go."

Kyle, Jim and I road out there today. The gate was closed but an attendent opened it and let us onto the road. They were indeed working on the road (the up-bound lane was trenched and not yet repaved most of the way) and there were crews active at a couple of spots. We were politely asked to walk our bikes around one active spot, but were able to ride to the summit. At the summit there was some more active construction completely blocking the road about 50 yards from the top, but we dismounted at walked our bikes around it and were able to enjoy the summit views. Some @$$hole foreman decided to play a power trip on our way back down and stopped me as I walked my bike back around their site, asking "if it was really necessary for us to go up there [the summit]" but that was it.