Carmel culvert project closes Fuller Road

CARMEL – Motorists using the Fuller Road as a through road will have to make alternate plans as a culvert construction project is closing part of the road for most of the week.

Dedham-based Fleming Construction is replacing a large cement culvert with two plastic ones on the Fuller Road in Carmel near the town line with Hermon.

The cement culvert is breaking down, and pieces have fallen into the water, Carmel Town Manager James Collins told the three town selectmen present at Monday’s meeting.

The project is expected to run through the remainder of this week, although town officials said there are plenty of alternate routes.

“So it’s not like anybody’s going to be stranded,” said Carmel Selectman Suzan Rudnicki, chairwoman of the board, who breezed through a list of routes that includes the Blackstream, Annis, Horseback, Five and Irish roads.

Adding the culverts is part of a larger $50,000 project that includes ditching the road.

Once the Fuller Road project is complete, the town is expected to put Fleming Construction to work removing ledge on the Ash Hill and Spratt roads, where ditching has run into difficulty.

Water runoff has been a problem along those two streets for years, said town officials, who are looking at alternatives to blasting.

Town Manager Collins said a jackhammer may be used to remove ledge that is more breakable like shale, although he said he doesn’t think there is much of that up there.

“It does look fairly formidable up on Spratt Road,” he said. “I don’t hold out much hope for it to do a heck of a lot.”

The water could be diverted, but Collins said it has to go somewhere, and the concern is that the diverted water may create new problems.

Ultimately, the town may have to blast away the ledge, although Collins said any blasting would be done in a way to minimize the effects on wells and buildings.