Prospect Mountain’s first phase nearing finish line

The first phase of the Prospect Mountain construction project is 83 percent finished and remains on schedule for completion by year’s end, state Department of Transportation officials said Tuesday.

The majority of the work this year will be related to concrete bridge decks and concrete pavement. For drivers, that means minor traffic shifts should be expected — but not detours directing vehicles completely out of the work zone.

“All in all, there won’t be any major traffic pattern changes or long detours or major shifts or anything like that,” said Tom Phillips, a DOT engineer in charge of maintenance and protection of traffic for the Prospect Mountain project.

Phillips provided a roughly 20-minute project update to area law enforcement officials late Tuesday morning. Earlier Tuesday, DOT officials met with local public officials to discuss the project.

“I think it helps us plan the way we’re going to do things,” Broome County Sheriff David Harder said after the meeting. “We know ahead of time this is how things are going to go.”

Here is some of the work planned for 2015, which Phillips compared to putting the “final puzzle pieces” together:

•Reconstruct the Interstate 81 southbound ramp to Route 17 westbound and Route 17 westbound pavement.

•Reconstruct the I-81 southbound approach pavement to the I-81 southbound Chenango River bridge.

•Switch I-81 southbound traffic onto the new river bridge and remove the Exit 4 closure to I-81 southbound traffic.

•Reconstruct Front Street between Franklin Street and Route 17 eastbound Exit 72 off-ramp.

•Reconstruct Chenango Street under the new I-81/Route 17 arch bridge.

•Reconstruct Mygatt Street between LaGrange Street and Prospect Street.

Jack Williams, DOT regional director, said Prospect Mountain phase two will take between three and four construction seasons to complete. The project’s second phase will involve reconfiguring the interchange of Route 17, I-81 and Route 7 at the interstate’s Exit 4.

The DOT has created a Facebook page to provide updates on the project’s progress and notices whenever construction affects travel routes. The page is called Prospect Mountain Construction Project.

Follow Jon Harris on Twitter @PSBJonHarris.