34 South Main St., Attleboro, MA - (508) 222-7000
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New 'mess' for Norton road
 A sweeper kicks up a cloud of dust on Route 123 near the corner of North and South Worcester streets as crews clean up from installing pipes last year. (File photo by Tom Maguire)
Top Headlines State contractors won't start repaving the scarred and pitted road from the Attleboro line to Route 140 until the spring of 2009, Norton Highway Superintendent Keith Silver said Tuesday. "It ain't going to be paved this year," Silver said. "It's going to be a mess." Silver expects the two-lane road periodically will be reduced to a single lane starting after Labor Day, when contractors begin installing new drainage. "It's probably going to be a fiasco, because the schools are going to be open," Silver said. "I think we're going to have a tough winter on Route 123." And even that might be an understatement. "I don't think they're even going to get the drainage done by winter. I think everybody's got to be prepared. It's going to be a real bad winter on that road," Silver said. That's familiar territory for drivers. The same 3.3 mile stretch was torn up for much of 2007 for a $2.9 million town water and sewer project. Temporary pavement was put down in the westbound lane, heading toward Attleboro. Drivers, area businesses and town officials have since been waiting for the state highway department to award contracts for the project, which includes tree removal and trimming, sidewalk reconstruction and new curbing. The tree work is expected to start next month, state highway spokesman Klark Jessen said. Silver said he hadn't heard that. However, Silver said drivers should be pleased in the long run. "The road's going to be done right. It's going to be a nice road when it's done," he said. MICHAEL GELBWASSER covers Norton for The Sun Chronicle. He can be reached at 508-236-0439 or at mgelbwasser@thesunchronicle.com.
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