Nilman Road

Northern Construction anticipates returning to Nilman Road for final pavement the week of April 25th, weather and temperatures permitting. 

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After many weeks of delays, the culvert at Nilman Road was replaced in three days, starting Thursday, Dec. 16th. It was a long tiring weekend for residents, contractors, engineers and administrators but the result is nothing short of amazing. The new two-lane bridge will serve the residents of Nilman Road for a lifetime. Gaurdrail and a temporary layer of pavement was put down to secure area for the winter. Final pavement is expected in early Spring. 

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Eversource, Verizon, and Comcast are working with Northen Construction to clear the way to temporarily relocate the utlities on Nilman Road in preparation for construction. There will be minor and hopefully very brief disruptions of service in the area.

The Town awarded the construction contract for the Nilman Road culvert replacement project to Northinern Construction Inc. for the amount of $$992,117.50.  The new culvert is being built off site and it is anticipated it will be ready for installation this fall. While the deadline for the completion of the replacement, including repaving is Nov. 30, 2021 the current construction plan calls for the replacement to be completed Nov. 21 to Nov. 23. The contract calls for the work to be completed in 76 hours and the plan is to close the bridge on a Thursday afternoon, work throughout hte weekend, and reopen on Monday morning. There will be no vechile or pedestrian traffic allowed on the bridge during construction but there will be a narrow passage matained downstream for ATV and pedestrian use. 

Between now and then there will be some activity at the site, including the removal of several trees and the temporary relocation of overhead utilitiy wires. That work should take place before the end of August. 

The Nilman Road Culvert Replacement project was advertised June 16th with sealed bids due to the Town Administrator's Office on July 7, 2021.  In addition to the Greenfield Recorder the project will be advertised in the Central Register and on CommBuys. 

The project recently completed environmental review and the Buckland Conservation Commission has issued its Order of Conditions based upon its review of the project on April 5, 2021 meeting. The Conservation Commission met with town officials, abutters and the VHB engineering team on April 1, 2021 to view the site and address questions as they pertain to the Wetlands Protection Act. See photos. 

HISTORY

The Town of Buckland will replace the culvert on Nilman Road with a small bridge using funding from a 2021 Small Bridge Grant Program, coordinated through MassDOT. 

The $500,000 grant funds the marjority of the construction phase of the project. Supplement funds are in the FY21 Transportation Bond bill initiated by Sen. Adam Hinds and approved by the Governor in December. 

The engineering was funded by 2019 Division of Ecological Restoration culvert replacement grant in the amount of $91,000. The contract was awarded to VHB and plans completed and approved by MassDOT in 2019.

Construction is anticipated for late summer 2021.  The crossing will be closed to vehicle traffic for 79 hours (Thursday to Monday) while the replacement bridge structure is put into place. The Town is working with residents on the details of this restriction making public safety a top priority.