The Pettengill Road connection from Industrial Drive to the Airport Access Road is to be completed in the fall, Public Works Director Januscz Czyzowski told the Town Council Monday night.
He noted that when emergency response required a detour earlier this week, motor vehicles drove on the gravel on Pettengill Road headed west. “It was a wonderful first test,” Czyzowski said.
Continental Paving sub-graded the base of the new road and surfaced it with gravel and crushed gravel. The intersection of Industrial Drive and Pettengill was also reconfigured for a new set of traffic lights to be installed in September.
Moving forward, crews will construct sewer that will service the Prologis Distribution Center at 52 Pettengill Road, and eventually, a pumping station.
Headed east on Pettengill Road, signalized lights are also to be installed at the intersections of Harvey Road and Airport Access Road.
“We don’t want to install lights now in case it will have to be a different design,” said Czyzowski, who recommended installing all infrastructure for the traffic lights except the bases and lights themselves and putting the Town’s required $250,000 contribution, raised through the Airport Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District, in escrow in the meantime.
Funds remaining in the Road Maintenance Trust Fund will be used to repave sections of Industrial Drive and Harvey Road that Czyzowski said are falling apart.
“There’s a section of Industrial Drive that’s cracking pretty badly,” he said, adding he hopes one day to close the loop between Interstate 93 and the Everett Turnpike.
“I always believed this is the bread basket for Londonderry – to bring access to the Everett Turnpike, and I see it happening,” he said.