Old Salisbury Road Closure

Old Salisbury Road Closure Information

DESIGN UPDATE: As of May 2023 the project’s design is ongoing with the final plan submittal anticipated in June of 2023. City Council authorized the acquisition of easements for the project at their May meeting. The easement acquisition process has started and is scheduled for completion by the end of August 2023. Once all easements are acquired and the final design plans completed, the project will be bid for construction.

In March 2021, the city was forced to close Old Salisbury Road between Brewer Road and Gyro Drive. The closure is just north of the former Moose Family Center at 1495 Old Salisbury Road. The road there is in danger of collapsing because the fill soil that carries the road over a ravine has become unstable. A large gap has developed in the pavement where the road is starting to collapse, and a guard rail to keep cars from falling into the ravine is no longer anchored beside the road due to erosion.

The city had no forewarning that this closure would be necessary. It took a while to identify the funding to hire an engineering firm to study the failing road. Another delay ensued while securing an engineering firm to do the study.

The City Council allocated $2.47 million for the project in the 2022-23 budget it approved in June.

As of July 2022, an engineering consultant had been retained and is conducting soil tests and other preliminary investigations. This information will be used to design proposed drainage, erosion, and road repairs along with other technical work that must be completed before the city can request bids for repairing the road.

The current schedule is for the project to be bid for construction in August 2023. A final construction schedule will be determined after the project is bid and awarded to a contractor. These dates are tentative and subject to change because of material supply delays that are affecting city construction projects.

See FAQ section for more information.