Spring start for Route 228, take two
by Carol Britton Meyer - WickedLocal.com

Hingham - It’s been a long time coming, but Phase II of the Rte. 228 resurfacing and improvement project is expected to begin this Spring.

Phase II includes the 3.3-mile stretch of roadway from Queen Ann’s Corner to Merrymount Road. Work on the $3 million Phase I from West Corner near the Hull town line to Merrymount Road was completed several years ago.

While the town has paid several hundred thousand dollars for the design work over the life of the second phase of the project, approximately $6.5 million-worth of construction costs (including contingencies) will be paid for under the state Transportation Improvement Project using state and federal dollars, according to Town Administrator Charles Cristello. “We certainly got value for our dollar,” he said.

The opening date for the bids is March 19. “It will take some time to sign the contract and to mobilize, but we’re on track to begin some of the work this Spring,” he said.

The entire project was delayed for more than a decade due to unresolved issues between the state and the town. Phase II was further delayed from the time the project was segmented four years ago due to proposed street widenings and other changes mandated by the state that the town was unwilling to accept.

Phase II now falls under the state’s less-intrusive Footprints Road Program, which gets away from major reconstruction and back to basic paving, sidewalk and drainage work, and minor improvements.

The program is designed for older communities and town centers and takes aesthetic and historic issues into consideration, attempting to keep the road within its original “footprint.”

The program allows communities to maintain the character of their roadways. There will be no widening of the road and minimal geometric changes, according to project engineers.

The timing is good because pavement conditions along that stretch are steadily deteriorating. The town resurfaced portions of the road during the past couple of years in order to maintain a safe, useable surface until Phase II work begins.

The plan calls for improvements in the Constitution Fire Station and South Elementary School area to improve visibility.

“The biggest change will be lowering the hill in front of South School by several feet to improve sight distance along the corridor,” Cristello said. While school is in session, flashing yellow signs installed at the side of the road near South School and the Middle School will warn motorists to slow down.

The Constitution/Liberty Pole Road intersection will also be redesigned. Part of the island will be removed to create a “T” traffic pattern. “This is a traffic-calming measure to slow traffic entering Main Street,” Cristello said.

The roadway will remain open to traffic during the construction period, and access to abutting properties will be maintained, although there will be some traffic impacts and congestion. Delays to motorists will be minimized as much as possible.

“The Town of Hingham and Massachusetts Highway Department found a creative, productive way to work together for Phase I, and the same approach will be applied to Phase II,” project engineer Kenneth Caputo of Coler & Colantonio said earlier during a project update.