No pain, no gain.
If you’re one of the hundreds of drivers who line up each morning on Halfway Pond Road waiting to enter Long Pond Road, you may want to repeat those words to yourself over and over.
Because finally after more than a decade’s delay, the difficult and hazardous intersection is going to be widened, with additional lanes built and traffic lights installed.
The plan — which is expected to take several months of work that will briefly start next month but be paused until school’s out for summer — calls for a dedicated right turn lane from Long Pond Road onto Halfway Pond Road and a dedicated right turn only lane onto Long Pond Road from Halfway Pond Road.
The improved intersection will also be pedestrian- and bicyclist-friendly, with crosswalks, bike lanes, and wheelchair ramps.
The $2 million project is being overseen and paid for by A.D. Makepeace Company, which developed the Redbrook community in South Plymouth, located near the intersection.
As the population in that part of town has ballooned in recent years – mostly because of Redbrook and the nearby Pinehills development – so too have complaints about the key intersection.
The company had pledged to improve the intersection and the project “represents a significant investment in the community’s infrastructure,” said Makepeace vice president Dan Gorczyca.
But more delays and inconvenience will likely come as the project gets under way, officials from Makepeace and its contractor, Lawrence Lynch Corp., have said.
That means navigating the intersection during construction will likely be even more difficult than it is now.
At a March 6 meeting with residents, officials from the companies acknowledged there is no easy alternative route. Their advice to residents was to “plan accordingly.”
One or more police officers will be at the site most of the time, they said at the meeting, which was held at Plymouth South Middle School.
“This much-needed upgrade addresses longstanding safety and traffic concerns at the failing intersection, ensuring a safer and more efficient roadway for all users,” said Gorczyca.
This project is estimated to take around seven months, but after an initial burst in April, work will be suspended until the end of the school year on June 18, officials said.
Most of the work will take place over the summer, including the installation of underground traffic signal equipment and the construction of new curbing, sidewalks and guard rails, according to a timeline provided by the company and its contractor.
In September, traffic signs will be installed, and landscaping, final paving, and striping will take place, they said.
Although there is additional work scheduled for September and October, officials said, the activity will be “short term” and should have a lesser impact on traffic, officials said.
Weather conditions and traffic signal equipment lead times are the key factors in determining overall completion, they said.
Ed Russell, who lives near the intersection and attended planning sessions for the upgrades, said he believes that Makepeace and the town have tried – as much as possible – to minimize traffic issues anticipated during construction.
“I go through that intersection multiple times a week and I’ll just have to plan extra time,” he said.
Andrea Estes can be reached at andrea@plymouthindepdent.org.