This article by Tm Camerato was published by the Valley News on Oct. 3.
FAIRLEE — Work to secure a problematic section of ledge in Fairlee will temporarily close a 6-mile stretch of Interstate 91 southbound later this month, according to state transportation officials.
Both lanes of I-91 south will be closed from Exit 16 in Bradford to Exit 15 in Fairlee for three weeks beginning in late October, according to Bruce Martin, a project manager at the Vermont Agency of Transportation.
While the closure is expected to end by Nov. 22, contractors haven’t yet submitted a start date for the project, Martin said on Thursday.
During the closure, southbound traffic will be detoured off of I-91 onto Route 25 in Bradford, and then onto Route 5 south to Fairlee, where traffic can again pick up the highway.
Martin said the ledge work will center around a section of rock that is now draped with a mesh cover to protect motorists from falling debris.
The project was called for after a pickup truck struck several rocks that fell into the travel lane in November 2018. A 29-year-old Derby, Vt., man struck a large piece with the truck’s front passenger-side tire, damaging the truck’s undercarriage and closing the highway for three hours, according to a Vermont State Police news release.
After the crash, VTrans sent a geologist to inspect the site. The geologist found many unstable areas that might break off over the winter, Martin said.
“We’re looking to take action to prevent that from happening,” he said.
Crews will rappel down the ledge to remove debris and roots that can get into cracks and expand during frost-to-thaw cycles, Martin said. They’ll also work to remove or pin back large boulders in danger of falling into the roadway, he said.
Much of the material is likely to wind up on the highway, which is why officials elected to close it, Martin said.
“This is a safety reason to have no vehicles down there,” he said.
The closure could force thousands of commuters onto Route 5 and surrounding roads, according to Orford and Fairlee Police Chief Jason Bachus.
About 8,300 southbound vehicles pass between the two highway exits daily, according to VTrans 2018 traffic counts.
“This amount of traffic increase could cause significant delays at Bridge Street, School Street, and Lake Morey Road intersections, as well as congestion during the peak travel hours (morning and afternoon commutes),” Bachus wrote on the two town’s Listserves this week. “Motor vehicle laws will be strictly enforced and temporary traffic control during peak hours may be present.”
However, at least one business owner was celebrating the possibility of increased traffic.
“I think it will be interesting to see that this brings. Hopefully people will be a little more spontaneous and just see that we exist and drop in,” said Aletta Chapman, the owner of Chapman’s store in Fairlee.
“I kind of wish it was maybe like in the middle of summer,” she added with a laugh.
