A blast is scheduled tomorrow at 1 p.m. as part of efforts to expand US-95 over Granite Hill north of Athol. All traffic will be stopped during the blast, with delays expected to be under 30 minutes.
Blasting will make room for a new frontage road called Vintage Road to the west and will continue throughout the final season of work, with several blasts possible each month.
Starting in early March, crews will mobilize into the work zone to rebuild US-95 to four lanes over Granite Hill and finish Vintage Road. Additional lanes over Granite Hill will provide better mobility, and frontage roads will improve safety by routing drivers to improved intersections to enter US-95.
Both routes are expected to open by August, though construction is expected to last through October.
Once Vintage Road opens, Homestead Road and Williams Lane will lose direct access to US-95 and will instead use the frontage road to access the highway.
Construction in the area began last spring, with the first season of work producing Mineral Ridge, the road traffic currently travels on through the work zone and what will serve as the frontage road to the east after the project is complete.
Drivers can expect two lanes through most of construction. Frequent travelers are encouraged to sign up for email updates at itdprojects.org/us-95-granite-north-improvements.