Paving stalled by utility work
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — The chess match between asphalt for projects and those projects being flummoxed by utility companies continues.
Highway Superintendent Travis Sirrine said if the weather stays on the warmer side as it has been, the asphalt plants may stay open until mid-December.
It’ll be a longer wait than that for the Canal Street project, though. This summer the deteriorating concrete curbs and catch basins were replaced with bituminous curbing and new basins. Crews widened the curb area a bit so the new curbs could be put in without reducing the width of the road. Drainage issues were fixed.
It was time to mill and pave.
But, Eversource had a different plan. Originally, Sirrine said, Eversource said they didn’t have the funding to remove an abandoned gas line under Canal Street so the town planned on paving. Good news: Eversource found the funding. Bad  news: They tentatively plan to do the work in February or March. 
Danco Bridge
Also unlikely to make it to the paving part by the time the asphalt plants close is the Danco Drive bridge.
The Danco Drive Bridge is not likely to be paved until the spring, according to Town Administrator Elaine Sistare.
One side of the bridge is pretty far along but not ready for paving yet. The other side has not been started so paving is most likely to be done in the spring, Sistare said.
The project lost about two months at the beginning of this year’s construction season waiting for some prep work to be done by Eversource and the cable company.
Sistare is confident Eversource will be able to return and reconnect the gas line soon for the winter season.
The state had changed it rules years ago and left the inspection of any bridge under 20 feet as a town’s responsibility. The new Danco bridge will be 20 feet, six inches long and will go back on the state’s inspection “rolls.”
Last year, she said the approximate cost for the bridge replacement is $2.6 million. Fifty percent of it is handled by the state and the other 50 percent is covered by the town. The grant was approved a couple years ago and the town had been adding to the capital projects budget to cover the town’s half. 

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One side looks almost ready for paving but the other is no where near. More photos Wed. night on our FB page. Linda Lemmon photo.