WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – If you’ve had trouble getting around the city of Watertown recently, you’re not alone. According to the city manager, 2023 is the busiest construction season in years.
Torn up pavement on Mill Street. Swaths of Sherman and Holcomb streets are closed. An excavator on Barben Avenue.
It’s a busy construction season.
Watertown City Manager Ken Mix tells us that’s because 2023 marks the culmination of several long-term projects.
“Any construction is disruptive. It’s an inconvenience for people getting around. Unfortunately, right now we’ve got a lot of it. You can barely go around a corner without running into some construction,” he said.
One of the most impactful projects is at the Court Street bridge. Currently, the span is temporarily closed, but Mix says the results will make the inconvenience more than worth it.
“That will make that section of road much smoother than it has been in recent years. It will also rehabilitate the bridge so it will be in good shape for another 20 – 30 years,” he said.
Although Mix didn’t know exactly when work will be done on the Court Street bridge, he assures us traffic shouldn’t be disrupted for too long.
“The project should be completed by the end of the year but it will be usable long before then,” he said.
Another improvement we can expect to see is more reliable water lines since areas like Bugbee Drive and Thompson Boulevard experience breaks almost every year.
“Once that’s completed, hopefully, that won’t be happening anymore and won’t be disrupting people so they can continue to use water on a continuous basis,” said Mix.
It’s a challenging summer for drivers with the promise of smoother city streets.
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