Blasting to continue until October 2023 for Aerotech Connector

Residents posted about their blasting issues from the Aerotech Connector, but Public Works and ECC said nothing has come to them. (Healey photo)

WELLINGTON: The Aerotech (Wellington) Connector is scheduled for a late Fall 2024 opening, said a Department of Public Works spokesman.

That was one of the updates provided to The Laker News by the official when we inquired with looking for a progress update and with some questions of concerns from residents in adjacent Oaken Hills subdivision.

Concerns from residents posted on the Waverley, Fallriver, Wellington community events bulletin board varied from blasting; to time table for the construction; to wells/damage to homes; whether Public Works or Dexter will check homes after the project is built to see if there were damages; to backyard flooding from the site.

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Gary Andrea answered the question on blasting, which several residents commented on the post about.

“Blasting for the entire site is currently scheduled to be complete in October 2023,” he said, “while blasting in the immediate residential area is scheduled to be complete in July.”

He said the contractor is currently building the subgrade (base) of the road in part by blasting the bedrock and disposing it off site at an approved facility in compliance with the environmental permits.

“The subgrade contract will be done by early summer 2024, with the Aerotech Connector expected to open to the public in late Fall 2024,” said Andrea.

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The construction site for the Aerotech Connector ON April 22, 2023. (Healey photo)

On the question of if public works or the contractor (Dexter) would check wells and homes for damage from blasting after the construction is completed, Andrea did answer part of that concern. He did not mention anything in the response about checking for damage to homes from the blasting.

“Checking residential wells after the project is finished is not in the environmental program/requirements,” he said.

“We would recheck a well if an issue was reported to us.”