06/04/10

Route 77 pavement project slated to begin July 6

Beginning July 6, 2010, weather permitting, the town is scheduled to begin a pavement rehabilitation project on Route 77, between Wentworth Road and the Inn by the Sea.

The work should take four to five days to complete, said Public Works Director Robert Malley. "During the project, motorists should expect slight delays as the work is being performed," he said.

He suggested motorists heading south towards Scarborough use Fowler Road as an alternate route once construction is underway.

"Prior to repaving, the contractor will be removing a layer of pavement." Malley said. "The process is called 'milling' and involves removing approximately 1.5 inches of asphalt and then replacing it with a new layer of the same thickness," he said.

The benefits of milling are primarily in maintaining the existing elevations, so that drive entrances and shoulders do not have to be adjusted after the new layer of asphalt is applied, Malley said.

The work is very similar to work that was done between Fowler Road and Old Ocean House Road last May, he said.

The town has contracted with Dayton Sand & Gravel, Inc. to coordinate the work.