Traffic In Hampden Is About To Go Nuts For The Next Couple Months

As I was coming home from work a week or two ago, there was an ominous sign on the side of the road where Route 202 meets Western Avenue. It said something about limited access and road closures, but driving past it at 50+ mph didn't really give me a chance to really take it all in.

But, today I finally saw a post from Hampden Public Safety on Facebook, finally giving some solid details about what's happening. So, the town is upgrading some sewer stuff between Main Road North, and about where Hannaford is located. During this time, traffic will be reduced to one lane, going one way, starting this Monday, May 17th.

Traffic will be able to go from Main Road and continue on out. However, traffic coming in the other direction will likely be detoured onto 202, and then back around via Coldbrook Road, where you can make a right, and come back up the other way, and loop around back toward Hannaford.

In other words, if you're coming from the direction of Newburgh, you will no longer be able to drive straight up to Hannie's without some kind of detour. Which naturally, is the direction I access that part of town from. So once I figured all that out, one could imagine the intense excitement I felt!

Now, they've still been working on the Grist Mill Bridge, and finishing up sidewalk construction through the detour area as well. I wonder if we'll see something exciting like being unable to access that part of town in either direction. You know, Murphy's Law and all....

Hampden is a small town, and there's only so many ways in and out, so when there's a pretty significant construction job like this, it affects a lot of folks. Not to mention how many folks from Newburgh and Dixmont and wherever else use Hampden to eventually make it to the the highway as part of their commute.

The whole project is expected to take ten weeks, but again.... Murphy's Law says this will take most of the summer. We'll see if it's ten real weeks, or ten Murphy's Law weeks. Either way, for folks who live around these parts, or access this part of town for the groceries, drug store, garage, banks, medical facilities, and restaurants....

It's gonna be a long summer....