Merrimac River Road Traffic Advisory

A quick note to let you know about an upcoming traffic hassle – River Road Bridge over Cobbler’s Brook will be closed until fall. The reason: to rehabilitate the structure from damage done during the Mother’s Day flood in 2006.

From the Broad Street intersection with River Road, only local traffic is allowed.

Traffic will be detoured as follows:

• River Road westbound traffic will be directed to turn right onto Skunk Road; continue on Emery Street; turn left onto Route 110; turn left onto Broad Street connecting to River Road on the west side of the bridge.

• River Road eastbound traffic will be directed to turn left onto Broad Street; turn right onto Route 110; turn right onto Emery Street; continue on Skunk Road connecting River Road on the east side of the bridge.

Click to enlarge.

Bates Bridge Traffic Advisory

Rep. Stanley's office has just received word that there will be one-way traffic on the Bates Bridge this Thursday and Friday. I am posting the DOT Traffic Advisory as we received it earlier this afternoon.

Massachusetts Department of Transportation
TRAFFIC ADVISORY
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, March 16, 2011

GROVELAND/HAVERHILL – ROUTE 97/113 OVER THE MERRIMACK RIVER (BATES DRAWBRIDGE) BRIDGE DECK REPAIRS – MARCH 17-18, 2011

Beginning on Thursday, March 17 and continuing through Friday, March 18 there will be one-way alternating two-way traffic on the William H. Bates Drawbridge carrying Route 97/113 over the Merrimack River in Groveland and Haverhill between 9AM and 3PM. The restrictions are necessary to allow work crews to perform repairs to the open grating bridge deck on the movable span. Police details will be used to direct traffic through the work zone.

The work is necessary to ensure that the bridge remains in good operating condition until the replacement bridge currently under construction just downstream is completed.

MassDOT encourages drivers traveling through the affected area to lower their speeds and use caution.

Hooksett, NH Sewer Plant Accident

As you may know, there has been a release of more than one million disks (currently estimated at between four and eight million) from a Hooksett, N.H. sewer plant into the Merrimack River. More than 200,000 of these disks have already been recovered. As the media reporting of this accident has been all over the place, here are the facts as we know them:

1. The disks do contain small amounts of human waste bacteria. However, they are not dangerous to handle with minor precautions.

2. Bacteria levels on disks found on the beaches will be lower than those along the banks of the Merrimack River as they have had more exposure to water and the sun.

3. As of this morning, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is treating the release of these disks more as a litter issue than one of environmental contaminants.

4. The Massachusetts Department Public Health (DPH) has stated that the bacteria levels found on tested disks are low, and their position is that it is not necessary to close beaches.

5. Clean-up is the number one priority. After that, we can negotiate whether the town of Hooksett pays the entire bill.

That said, and we don’t seek to minimize the impact of the accident, clean-up continues. If the weather tomorrow is spring-like as predicted, don’t be alarmed if you come across these disks. You can ignore them, or you can dispose of them yourself as long as you’re wearing gloves and wash your hands afterward.

We’ll be sure to keep you updated as the clean-up progresses.

New Session, New System

Now that the 187th legislative session is underway, we’d like to share some information about the Massachusetts Legislature’s new website and how you can follow what your state government is doing online. The website for the General Court can be found at http://www.malegislature.gov/. From here you can search bills, see who’s who, find information on events, as well as follow the budget process.

When searching bills, you can search by keyword/phrase, bill number (preceded by an “H” or “S” to denote if it is a Senate or House bill), or town. Once you’ve found the bill you’re looking for, you’ll be able to see the Bill Summary, Bill History, and Bill Text.

Under the “Bills & Laws” tab on our homepage, you’ll also be able to view the Senate and House Calendars and Journals. The Calendars tell you what bills are up for discussion in the House or Senate, while the Journals are a record of the respective branches past proceedings.

This session, one of Representative Stanley’s state-wide focuses is reigning in health care costs in the Commonwealth. If you’d like to see the bills she has sponsored, simply click on her name on the “people” page of the House of Representatives. From there you can see the bills she has sponsored for this session, as well as their progress.

Both Dan and I are happy to answer any questions you may have. You can find our contact information (and Harriett’s) on our contacts page.