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Select Board approves short-term detour for Front Street roundabout to speed construction
Summary
The Select Board authorized a contractor-proposed temporary detour and road closures for the Front Street/Pine/Linden roundabout project to shorten the construction schedule by up to two months; the contractor estimates 4–6 weeks for the detour phase. The board required final traffic-control plan approval and scheduled a public meeting to notify neighbors.
The Exeter Select Board voted July 13 to authorize a temporary traffic detour for work on the Front Street/Pine/Linden roundabout, accepting the contractor’s proposal to close the intersection approaches and route traffic around the work zone for the duration of critical operations.
Public Works Director Steve Cronin told the board that the contractor, Balergeon Construction, proposed closing the approaches and routing traffic onto signed detour routes rather than using extensive lane shifts and alternating traffic. Cronin said the approach would shorten the overall construction schedule by as much as two months, improve safety by separating construction work from moving traffic, and allow higher-quality paving operations.
Cronin said a public information meeting will be held July 21 at the Exeter Public Library to notify residents and businesses, and the town will send mailings and post traffic-management details on the project page. The contractor estimated the detour work would take about four to six weeks (21 days was the contractor’s more optimistic estimate). The town also plans advanced detour signage and coordination with police, fire and waste management to maintain access and services.
Residents at the meeting raised concerns about changing Gill Street to a temporary two-way road and about Lincoln Street being used as a detour route; Stephen Jones (23 Linden Street) asked how the town would manage speed and the reversion to the original traffic pattern. Cronin said the town will use signage, initial flagging, mailings and, after project completion, targeted enforcement to restore normal traffic behavior.
The motion to authorize implementation of the temporary detour and associated road closures, subject to final approval of the traffic-control plan by the town and project engineer, passed on a voice vote.
