National Grid is handling street paving of almost the entire neighborhood at no cost to the Town, with Middletown pitching in to get new sidewalks done. Work is expected to wrap up later this summer.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Matt Sheley at (401) 712-2221 or msheley@middletownri.com
COMMODORE PERRY VILLAGE UPGRADES UNDERWAY
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (JUNE 17, 2021) – The Commodore Perry Village neighborhood off West Main Road is getting new roads and sidewalks.
Thanks to an arrangement worked out with National Grid, almost the entire area will be repaved at no cost to the Town of Middletown. The roads getting redone by JH Lynch & Sons include Bristol Road, Buck Road, Ludlow Road, Ludlow Terrace and Woolsey Road.
Recently, National Grid asked the Town if it was interested in having Lynch upgrade the sidewalks in the neighborhood, known locally at Commodore Perry Village. Public Works Director Robert Hanley said after reviewing the pricing from the Cumberland firm, the Town jumped at the opportunity to get the sidewalks redone at the same time.
If everything goes according to schedule, the project was expected to be wrapped up by the end of the summer.
“Last year, National Grid put in new gas services to the homes in Commodore Perry and after that, they had some asphalt restoration to do,” Hanley said. “We sat down with them and they agreed to grind two inches of the (existing) pavement and put down new pavement. That’s going to extend the life of the road for another 20 years.”
Hanley said while the road was ripped up before, the Town did all the necessary sewer and stormwater repairs so the fresh coat of pavement doesn’t need to be disturbed for years.
“National Grid was great to work with on this,” Hanley said. “They were very accommodating and it just makes sense to go in and do it once and do it right so we don’t need to disturb the neighborhood again for a while.”
In recent years, when working in an area, the Town tries to coordinate all road, sewer, stormwater, gas, water and sidewalk infrastructure upgrades at once. That way, newly paved roads aren’t cut and patched unnecessarily and interruptions are kept to a minimum. By doing all the work at once, there’s typically a cost savings to the community.
Hanley said work in the neighborhood started earlier this month. On work days, there’s typically a flagger posted to assist vehicles looking to exit Woolsey Road onto West Main Road, the busy four-lane road that goes through the center of town.
While work was ongoing, Hanley said traffic in Commodore Perry Village will be restricted to local vehicles only. He also asked that motorists use the one-way Buck Road Extension to exit the neighborhood whenever possible.
“We appreciate everyone’s patience while the work is going on,” Hanley said. “Once it’s all done, it’s going to be much, much better than what’s out there, with all new sidewalks too. I’m really excited this work is getting done.”
Commodore Perry Village resident Jackie Affonso said she appreciated the project, which she said was welcomed. So far, she said the project was making major strides and the progress is obvious.
“I am looking forward to a new street,” Affonso said. “However, I had no idea they are looking to install sidewalks too. That’s great. The road project is long overdue.”
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