The Town of Westford announced that Groton Road is open:
Groton Road (Route 40) has been re-opened to through traffic. Contractors at Aqua Line Utility, Inc. have completed that part of the Keyes Brook Culvert Project that required Groton Road to be closed, and the detour has ended. Additional work on the side of the road may require a lane closure, but the Westford Police Department will be on site to safely direct traffic around the work. Commuters are reminded to reduce speeds and drive cautiously in all work zones.
So who is paying for this new culvert at Keyes Brook? This project is a cooperative effort of the Town of Westford, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The town was able to secure a Hazard Mitigation Grant from FEMA and MEMA to replace the culvert, so the town is only responsible for 25% of the approximate $500,000 project cost.
The Keyes Brook culvert was at the end of its functional design life and failure would have resulted in a prolonged closure of Route 40, which is a significant traffic corridor. The Hazard Mitigation program was established by the Federal government to preclude disasters such as having to close Route 40 for an extended period of time.
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