Newtown Turnpike Section Closure, May 16

Beginning around May 16, a section of Newtown Turnpike will be closed for about a month so work can be done to remediate significant erosion on a roadside slope.

Traffic will not be able to pass through the work area, which is around house number 71, roughly ½ mile south of Georgetown Road and about ¼ mile north of Norfield Road.

Public Works Director John Conte estimates the closure could last through June 13, but notes that all dates depend on weather.

Mr. Conte told the Selectmen in December that steel sheet piles will be installed to stabilize the slope and the edge of road. He said the road was built long ago with support from telephone poles. Over time, the slope eroded, the poles were exposed, and rotted.

About 90 feet of the embankment need restoration.

Roadside erosion, DPW photo