The 75% design engineering plans were submitted to Massachusetts Department of Transportation in November 2022 by the state’s engineering firm WSP USA Inc. MassDot has a 90 day review period ending on February 18th . Comments raised by MassDot will then be addressed by WSP in the 100% design documents to be submitted back to MassDOT in the late Spring or early Summer of 2023.
The week of February 6, additional soil borings will be taken for the traffic signal foundations and the drainage treatment areas. The public will likely see a boring rig in the vicinity of both intersections.
Major items going forward will be the Right-of- Way and environmental permitting processes. A draft Notice of Intent (NOI) permit application has been submitted to MassDOT for their review. State approval is anticipated by the end of Spring 2023. The NOI application will then be submitted for review by the Webster Conservation Commission.
Upon approval by MassDot of the 75% design, the Right-of-Way process may begin. This consists of property appraisals, contact and negotiations with landowners. This process may take up to one year.
The project is currently planned to be advertised for Construction bids in the Fall of 2024.