Wenham's Route 1A Traffic Project Won't Break Ground Before Spring 2027

WENHAM -- May 26, 2026, Wenham Select Board learns Route 1A traffic project will not begin construction before spring 2027 and could last two to three years. Town Administrator Steve Squinto told the board Monday that certified appraisals on seven or eight temporary construction easements are complete, with written offers totaling $17,450 mailed to affected property owners on May 20; the board will vote on formal orders of takings at its June 23 meeting. MassDOT is targeting bid solicitation for late summer or early fall 2026 and a contract award in December 2026, but construction is expected to be suspended each winter, stretching the work potentially through 2029, far longer than the seven-to-nine-month estimate board members had previously heard. Beverly Regional Airport Manager Gabriel Hannafin reported that a single Wenham resident living 1.45 miles from the airport filed 107 of the 123 noise complaints the airport has received across all communities so far in 2026, with the complaints driven almost entirely by low-flying single-engine flight-school aircraft rather than jets. The board also heard a progress report on the proposed affordable-housing development at 24 Cherry Street, where neighbors raised concerns about aquifer protection limits and septic capacity for a proposed three-unit project; a $5,000 boundary survey of the parcels is set to begin this week.