Marblehead Police report that Pleasant Street is now reopen at Bessom Street after being closed when a gas line was struck. National Grid, police and fire crews responded.
“Use caution as there is still construction in the area,” police posted to Facebook.
The town has been working at the corner of Bessom and Pleasant streets on a stormwater project that started July 5.
“The gas link services one of the properties nearby and it was unmarked,” Amy McHugh, Marblehead’s water and sewer commisisoner, told the Current. “The excavator has done everything right but unfortunately they missed this service because it was unmarked. It’s a common occurrence, especially in old towns. It is being repaired.” McHugh said once the repair is made, construction crews will get back to work. The project should wrap up in two to three weeks.
Some neighbors are frustrated by this latest construction in the area.
“We’ve had construction here for at least the last four summers in a row,” said Ellen Berry, who lives on Pleasant Street. “I know this work has to be done, but to not have the courtesy to tell residents well in advance that this is going to happen is really poor. We came home to flyers in our boxes the day it started and the place was already covered in dust.”
McHugh said the project had been discussed at several public meetings and posted on the town’s website.
She said this is the last utility update for this stretch of Pleasant Street, and that paving will likely happen next spring. Sidewalk work may happen before that.
She said residents can expect more construction projects around town.
“This is an old town with a lot of old infrastructure: water, gas, sewer, light. The town has made a conscious decision not to pave over roads that go over utilities that need to be updated. We’re trying to get everybody on a five-year plan, trying to get every utility updated before we pave.”
Editor Leigh Blander is an experienced TV, radio and print journalist who has written hundreds of stories for local newspapers, including the Marblehead Reporter.