Early Birds, we’d recommend giving yourselves an extra 15 minutes going to or from the Upper Valley/Quechee area along Route 4.
Having just come through there, in both directions, the single lane waits are not too bad — maybe five to ten minutes — but there ARE waits and slow single lane driving at various intervals for paving.
This VTrans project is NOT a dig up the whole road and put down new layers — it’s a tarring and patch job. So far, a lot of work has already been done just today:
…Section between the Vermont Christian School in Quechee up to Britton’s Lumber and then work is going on right now between Britton’s (The Route 12 intersection with Route 4) and Taftsville…Additional tarring work between Taftsville and Woodstock is also slowing down traffic to one lane.
Still, we moved through pretty easily.
Some parts of the road are already smoother, although it remains to be seen if the entire “ride” between Woodstock and Quechee goes better. There will still be paving “seams” in the road between the old and the new.
In any case, as VTrans warned, the work IS in progress and expect to be delayed. At the rate they’re going, it wouldn’t surprise this Bird if they finish up the patch-up within a week, but we’ll double check on that for you.
Julia Carlisle
Woodstock Early Bird 
Posted by L.H. Russell on September 7, 2012 at 14:17
We should be assured that this is an effective repair because . . . ?
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Posted by Margaret (Peggy) Kannenstine on September 7, 2012 at 16:44
I think there is more to this paving “redo” than you are suggesting, Julia. it’s my understanding that the “patches” that you are seeing are to be followed by a second coat that will be a much smoother ride when done.
Check in with Phil Swanson, who gave me the bit of info I’m passing on here; hope I didn’t misquote!!
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Posted by Julia Carlisle on September 8, 2012 at 07:54
Peggy, yup, have heard same. Don’t mean to minimize the work or its potential positive impacts.
However, this is NOT the dig down and get out the concrete and strip the road through four layers to create a new roadbed that VTrans engineers have told us in the past is what is ultimately needed to make the real fix — with the accompanying vast expense and weeks and weeks of delays that might require.
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