Winchester River-Widening Project Falls Behind Schedule

For the last two months construction crews and heavy machinery have been working on along Mystic Valley Parkway.

by 15 feet, which would limit the amount of flooding from the Aberjona. Construction needs to take place during the river’s low-flow period, which is between July and October.

However, because of delays in permitting the project didn’t start on time and the completion date has now been pushed back.

“We’re running a little behind,” Assistant Town Manager Mark Twogood said.

According to Project Manager, Meg White, the contract doesn’t expire until June of 2012, at which time all work, including the landscape improvements need to be completed. The river-widening, which was originally expected to be completed in November has been extended to December.

“I think [the widening] will go into the winter,” White said. “Realistically, it will probably go into February. I expect it to finish by mid-winter.”

And that date may be pushed even further back depending on the severity of the winter.

“The weather will definitely effect productivity,” White said. “It’s different to work under three-feet of snow. We’re working on trying to expedite their schedule and tighten it up. We don’t want them to be still out there in February.”

According to White, besides a delay in the permits, construction crews have struggled getting rid of all the ground water, which has been “more difficult than anticipated.”

According to White, the river-widening needs to be completed by April 15 because that’s when the heavy-flow period of the Aberjona begins, and crews can't work in the river beyond that date.

The Aberjona is to be widened between Waterfield Road and Mystic Avenue to minimize the amount of floodwaters that overflow onto and into the Manchester Road neighborhood. Over the last 15 years, Winchester has suffered more than $25 million worth of flood damage due to the Aberjona River.

White said she does not anticipate any more parking spaces will become available along Mystic Valley Parkway once construction is complete. But she did say that the traffic management plan would need to be altered to allow plows to clear the streets during a snowstorm.

After the widening is complete, the construction company has until June to repair the landscape and build the new