Route 100

[pwt54]

I went to Montpelier today to do a couple of errands and to have the chicken and biscuit lunch at the Wayside Restuarant. After lunch I walked outside and looked at the clear blue sky. A little voice said " You're here and route 100 is over there just over the hill. Don't be such a wuss. Your foliage fanatics need your help." So off I went on a great adventure. Route 100 from Waterbury to route 100B in Moretown was not damaged. Route 100B is still closed. Route 100 from 100B to Warren was in good shape with only a couple of washouts that were repaired and paved. The fields and roadside were covered in silt, gravel and trees. South of Warren the damage got worse. The picnic area south of Warren was gone on the north section and the road crews were using that section for a staging area and to store all of the gravel from the road and streams. Just past the picnic area a road crew was working on a damaged bridge.There was a big hole in the abutment and they were setting up some forms. I asked them about the road and if they thought route 100 would be open to route US 4 by the first week of October. They said that route 100 was open most of the way, with only 2 spots that were still closed. The spots were Granville Gulf and between Pittsfield and route US 4. One guy thought route 100 would be open to route US 4 and the other wasn't so sure, but he wouldn't not be surprised if route 100 did open. He said the crews were going full blast. I believed him, there were a lot of dump trucks going by while we spoke. I continued south on rt 100 until I came to the Road Closed sign next to the North Hollow Road. I turned left onto the North Hollow Road and drive that a few miles until I saw the Marston Hill Road on my right and drove that to route 100 in Granville. I drove to Hancock and, surprise, the bridge was open. Accually, the bridge was okay, but the road on the south side had been wiped out. I asked someone about route 125 and they said it was open to Middlebury, but there was still a lot of work going on, so go careful. I continued to Rochester. The flood damage was unbelievable. Whole fields were turned into gravel pits and log yards. Corn fields flatten and the worse thing was the piles of water soak clothes, furniture, and sheet rock on the lawns. Just before Rochester there was a section of road that had been wiped out by a side stream, but it had been filled in and the crews were cleaning up the surrounding areas. The village was okay because it was on high ground, but the buildings at the south edge were badly hit. One field was covered in 3 feet of silt. The bridge for route 73 was gone.There was a wooden foot bridge so folks could walk from one side to the other. Route 100 had minimal damge until you got to Stockbridge. The fields and some house were badly damaged. The road to Liberty Farm & B&B was open. The new bridge in Stockbridge survived okay, but the approaches were hit. The north approch was wrinkled and folded over like a cheap lawn chair. The south approach had been covered by the lord knows how much silt, gravel, and trees, but the crews had it cleared. At the junction of routes 100 and 107 there were road closed to through traffic signs. Local traffic only! Well seeing how I was going to get a creamee at the store, I guess I could be local, so off I went. just before Liberty Hill Road there is a dip over a stream. That stream had cleaned out that section of the road and left a 20 foot deep canyon. It was all filed in and a crew was cleaning up around the area. There was not damage from there to Pittsfield. I got my creamee and asked the girl if route 100 would be open to route US 4. She said that I could drive to US 4 right now, but the crews were working hard on the road and it would be tricky. I figured I had enough information and driving down to route US 4 would be foolish, because there was nowhere else to go because route US 4 wouldn't be open until this weekend.
Okay. The way things look right now, it looks like route 100 will be open to route US 4 by the first week of October. Granville Gulf itself is better than 50/50. If it's not open you can still take the North Hollow Road and the Marston Hill Road to route 100 in Granville. Route 100 should be passable from Pittsfield to Route US 4, but there may still be work going on, so drive carefully. Route US 4 will be open so you can go to Rutland or Woodstock. Routes 17 and 125 are open, but I can't see route 73 being open anytime soon. I can't tell you how route 100 will be south of route US 4 right now. I can tell you that I'm amazed how much the crews have done already. You remember that bridge with the hole in it? When I went back 2 hours later, the hole was full of concrete.

[ctyanky]

An absolutely PHENOMENAL report Phil! Thanks so much for taking the time to check all this out. You are awesome! My eyes got bigger and bigger the more I read on. Wow. To see it in person must have been incredible.

Thanks again Phil for all that you do on this forum...

[Brandon]

Thank you so much for this report. This is exactly what I've been looking for. I'll be headed up from Philly the first week in October and I rarely miss Rt. 100. The "official" state road closure map seemed rather out of date the last time I checked. Your first-hand report is really appreciated.

[Aspen]

PWT, thank you so much for taking the time to check Route 100 and reporting your findings! Many of us have been relying so on this website for updates on progress and pictures! "Seeing is believing" so through your eyes, we are assured Route 100 is well on its way to recovery. With Moss Glen Falls being one of the highlights along Scenic Route 100, were you able to see this Granville area and see how the Falls have fared? Was the rushing water from Moss Glen Falls one of the factors that created so much destruction on Route 100 in the Granville area?
Delighted you were able to treat yourself to a maple creamie, you deserved it! Folks who are wondering what this maple creamie is, it's delightful soft ice cream with a very special maple flavor!

Again, many, many thanks PWT!

Aspen

[Aspen]

Folks, PWT54, provided a wonderful update of Route 100 and some surrounding areas. Also mmvt shared that the Farmbrook Motel located on Route 100A in Plymouth is closed.
The Farmbrook Motel is not only a wonderful place for lodging but is a beautiful sight to see as well as photograph. When in this area, we always stop to admire this beautiful place. There is a babbling brook running under the Farmbrook Motel which flows down the hill in front of the motel and there's a stream at the end of the property by the roadside.
Check: http://www.farmbrookmotel.com/ Very sad Farmbrook Motel will be closed this season. Farmbrook Motel is on Route 100A in Plymouth and is a stone's throw down the road from the outstanding Coolidge Homestead. Anyone driving Route 100A in Plymouth in the future when Route 100A is restored, stop to view Farmbrook Motel, even inquire about future lodgings and plan to visit the Coolidge Homestead. Many people have shared past postings on this Scenes of Vermont Forum about the Coolidge Homestead. It's not only a beautiful place that takes you back in time but is very educational as well as humbling to walk the grounds of where our former President, Coolidge, was born, grew up and returned as President. During Fall foliage season, Route 100A is a beautiful scenic route!

Thanks PWT for the informative Route 100 update; thanks mmvt for sharing the disheartening news that Farmbrook Motel has been closed for the season. Know many of Farmbrook Motel's return customers will be saddened to learn they will need to seek lodgings elsewhere this season. Hope soon there will be positive reports shared of Route 100A!

Aspen

[pwt54]

I didn't get to Moss Glen falls. There were so many trucks that I just decided to stay out of the way and let them do their thing. I got the felling that while there were some roads that were open, they were still marked closed to keep the gawkers form gumming up the works.

[wentworth]

excellent report pwt--so gad to hear Rt. 125 is back open, one of our favorite roads

[ctyanky]

Everyone: Phil and I are driving route 100 on Friday or Saturday, September 30th or October 1st for as long a stretch as possible, similar to what he originally posted. Phil will post on the forum an up-to-date look at how things are progressing. I will be taking notes and he will make another grand report! I'm sure the restoration on this road will be astonishing! I'm looking forward to traveling with Phil, the King of Vermont Roads once again, especially to witness with him first hand, the recovery efforts made since the flooding.

Riding with Phil the past few years has not only been an adventure, but a privilege. (Even if it means many maple creemees and lots of junk food! ) Of course, he also has to put up with me!

Stay tuned

[Rockwall Tim]

I echo what the others have said...thanks for doing this. It's invaluable to those of us who live long and far away...like Texas.

My heart breaks for Rochester. My wife and I spent some time there last October. I pray for their recovery.

[ctyanky]

Carol: I wish you were with us too! Then you could be the official photographer! I'm looking at this more as a fact finding trip rather than another adventure with Phil but one never knows. He pulls scary road detours on me when I least expect it! I'm sure he's trying to avoid taking me back to the pig farm along 100 south of Rochester. After taking photos of all those cute pigs last fall, I was rather disturbed when he told me how much he was going to enjoy bacon and ham the next day..... I don't think he wants to go through that conversation ever again!

Tim: I have been following the drought in Texas all along and my heart goes out to all of you there. My prayers are for you and your fellow Texans, especially the ranchers and farmers. Your photo link was difficult to view. I lived in Texas and loved everything about it. Please keep us informed as to how things are moving along there.

[pwt54]

I've heard that the Camp Brook Road is mess.

[pwt54]

I got this from the Bethel Town website;

News
September 17, 2011
CAMPBROOK ROAD UPDATE
Camp Brook Road will be open to thru traffic from 12:00 Noon, Saturday, 9/17/11, until Monday morning, 8:00AM, 9/19/11. At that time construction hours will resume from 8:00AM to 5:00PM daily until further notice. Please pass this on to other folks that you know would be interested. Thank you, Joe DeFreitas, Bethel Select Board

It looks like you can drive this on weekends, but not during the week.