DPW: Traffic to Resume on Landham Road by End of Next Week

Excessive water and unstable soil conditions have extended work on the Landham Road bridge project, but Sudbury DPW Director Bill Place thinks the end of the work is near.

Motorists can expect one lane to reopen during the day by the end of next week, with both lanes open at night.

"Water is the problem, and keeping it (dry)," Place said. "It's pouring in from all sides, and the unstable soil conditions are slowing the project."

Place said the majority of the project remaining includes installing a gas main and other cosmetic work.

Discovery of extensive rusting of a metal culvert under the bridge forced the town to close the road in early August.

The original plan was to finish the job in three weeks, before the start of the school year. Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School began last week, and Sudbury Public Schools started Sept. 3.

The construction has forced motorists to detour through thickly settled neighborhoods in order to get to Boston Post Road. The Sudbury Police Department has issued dozens of tickets for speeding through those neighborhoods since the project began. Chief Scott Nix has asked the public to seek alternate routes until the project is complete.

The original estimate of the project was $200,000, to be paid through Sudbury's Chapter 90 roadway aid from the state. Place said due to the extension of the project, the price tag will go up.

"I don’t have final cost yet," Place said. "I'll be sitting down with the contractor end of this week to come up with the total cost. We'll use reserve funds if necessary, but I won’t know until final numbers are in."