ATHOL – Work on the Five Points project and repairs to what is known as the “secret bridge” under the Crescent Street Bridge near L.S. Starrett will require motorists to adapt to some road closures over the next few months.

“The two closures that are ultimately going to happen, one is Phase 1 of the Five Points project, which is getting underway,” said Public Works Director Dick Kilhart. “Initially, they’re doing some tree work and grubbing (the removal of stumps, roots, etc.). It has all been survey work until this point, and all the markings and things that people saw in the activity last fall. The lion’s share of the work can’t start until National Grid moves their poles, which is on the boards for August.”

The moving of the poles will allow for the development of easements and rights-of-way which were granted to the town.

When that work is completed, he said, E.T. & L. Construction of Stow will “begin to do the first phase of the retaining walls.”

The initial detour for the Five Points work is a result of the closure of what is known locally as Bridge Street, which runs from the northern terminus of the Chestnut Hill Avenue bridges over the Miller River and the PanAm Railroad tracks to Crescent Street, a small portion of which is also blocked off.

“You’ll still be able to go up Chestnut Hill Avenue,” said Kilhart, “then the detour takes drivers down Goodale, which takes them to Silver Lake Street; then back out Silver Lake to Crescent to Main Street. That is part of Phase 1 which they will close off and start to do some work in that area. Folks that live there, local traffic, to get to their houses, they’ll be able to go in and out of there.”

The other closure, which will begin June 9, is the Crescent Street Bridge at L.S. Starrett, just off of Main Street.

“There’s a second, what they’ve always called in Athol the ‘secret bridge’ or the ‘sluiceway bridge,’ which is getting started next week,” Kilhart explained, adding that the work is being done by Norther Construction of Palmer. “That detour will ultimately supersede a portion of the Five Point detour where they’ll start to send people down Lake Street, down Wallingford or Fish Street out to Peguoig, and the across Exchange to Main Street.”

The first detour will remain until sometime next year. The second detour, said Kilhart, is due to remain in place until Sept. 1.

“That bridge work is supposed to be done by then,” he said. “The Five Points project is going to be a bit longer. That’s probably two construction seasons. That detour will change when they begin Phase 2, but that probably won’t be until a year from now.”

Kilhart said he has instructed Northern Construction “to have officers, details, at the Lake Street, Fish Street, right at Starrett’s corner there, to direct people.”

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.