Route 100
Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 6:29 pm
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.
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.
) Of course, he also has to put up with me! 
