Traffic to shift to new road soon

Motorists will get to drive on a segment of the new road to Woodbury likely before Labor Day.

According to project foreman Joey Puckett, traffic will soon be diverted onto the new portion of road just past Billy’s Restaurant. With traffic on the new road, construction crews will be able to complete concrete work on the bridge near Cornerstone Baptist Church.

‘The state says we’re on schedule,’ said Puckett, who indicated the recent cutbacks in state road projects will not impact the first phase of the new road to Woodbury.

When complete, the new road will be five lanes all the way through Newtown from Angels Bridge to Spring Valley Road. It will be two lanes in both directions with a continual turning lane, much like Manchester Highway.

The project is expected to be complete in September 2008.

Yesterday, the first row of parking in the Foodland parking lot was getting ripped up as construction inched toward Angels Bridge. No more demolition work is scheduled, meaning the all the buildings that are still standing will remain.