DOT: 3-year Merritt Parkway project coming to an end – CTPost

Ongoing construction on the Merritt Parkway near the Saugatuck River Bridge and the Clinton Ave. overpass Friday, February 28, 2020, in Westport, Conn. The end of the road is in sight for a three-year construction project on the Merritt Parkway. Work on a 5-mile stretch of the Merritt between Fairfield and Westport is 75 percent finished. The $57 million project has a contractually agreed end date of Aug. 8, and engineers said last week that the contractor, Manafort Brothers, is close to finishing on time.

Ongoing construction on the Merritt Parkway near the Saugatuck River Bridge and the Clinton Ave. overpass Friday, February 28, 2020, in Westport, Conn. The end of the road is in sight for a three-year

Photo: Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media

Ongoing construction on the Merritt Parkway near the Saugatuck River Bridge and the Clinton Ave. overpass Friday, February 28, 2020, in Westport, Conn. The end of the road is in sight for a three-year construction project on the Merritt Parkway. Work on a 5-mile stretch of the Merritt between Fairfield and Westport is 75 percent finished. The $57 million project has a contractually agreed end date of Aug. 8, and engineers said last week that the contractor, Manafort Brothers, is close to finishing on time.

Ongoing construction on the Merritt Parkway near the Saugatuck River Bridge and the Clinton Ave. overpass Friday, February 28, 2020, in Westport, Conn. The end of the road is in sight for a three-year

DOT: 3-year Merritt Parkway project coming to an end

After three years of work, the state Department of Transportation has announced the final stage of construction for the ongoing Merritt Parkway improvement project in Fairfield and Westport

During this stage, northbound and southbound traffic lanes will be placed into final alignment in preparation for paving.

The five-mile stretch of the Merritt Parkway included in the $56.7 million project will transition to full final alignment progressing east to west (Fairfield to Westport) as median reconstruction work is completed and temporary barriers are removed.

The first 1 1/4 mile section of parkway to be placed into final alignment will include the southbound and northbound roadway from the Congress Street overpass to where the parkway crosses over Cross Highway in Fairfield.

Check out the projects traffic cams here.

Construction activities will also include raising drainage basin tops to match final pavement, final paving over the entire width of the reconstructed roadway, installing final pavement markings (12-foot travel lanes), installation of median plantings, and establishment of the grass shoulder.

Stretching almost five miles from the Newtown Turnpike Bridge in Westport to just past the Congress Street Bridge in Fairfield, the project the seventh in a series of eight covering all 37.5 miles of the Merritt is creating 4-foot reinforced grass shoulders on both sides of the parkway, replacing existing guiderail with steel-backed timber railing, and installing a slip-lined concrete curb and gutter system along the median for improved drainage.

The project also includes work on 11 bridges uniquely designed for the Merritt in the 1930s by architect George L. Dunkelberger. While most of the bridges required minor cosmetic enhancements such as parapet work, graffiti removal, surface and crack repairs, and fencing others, like the Saugatuck River Bridge needed more work.

During the final stage, motorists can expect lane closures in the right and left lanes in both directions as construction continues.

Lane closures will typically occur during the evening and nighttime hours from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. northbound and southbound.

Due to a reduction in traffic volume on the Parkway daytime lane closures from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.can also be expected.

All motorists traveling on the Merritt Parkway are required to obey posted vehicle restrictions and are reminded that no vehicles over 8 feet tall are allowed on the Parkway.

The existing vertical clearance under the Newtown Turnpike Bridge is lower than the existing bridge height during construction.

The project consists of the rehabilitation of 5 miles (each direction) of Route 15 and 11 structures (over and underpasses) in the towns of Fairfield and Westport. Upgrades to pavement, guiderail, drainage and historic concrete are included.

The project awarded to Manafort Brothers, Inc. is scheduled to be completed Aug. 8.

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DOT: 3-year Merritt Parkway project coming to an end - CTPost