$3.4 million project to replace, widen portion North Latham Street in Sandwich winding down

Work is winding down on a $3.4 million project to replace and widen a portion of North Latham Street in Sandwich.

The project began in March. Sandwich Fair Board President Larry Dannewitz is happy to see the project finishing up, especially with the Sandwich Fair running Wednesday through Sunday at the Sandwich Fairgrounds.

“It will be nice to have that done,” Dannewitz said. “That’s one of our main thoroughfares to get to the fair.”

The fair usually attracts between 150,000 and 200,000 people each year.

As of Tuesday, Latham Street was still closed to southbound traffic. A northbound lane remains open for residents living along Latham Street to access their homes.

As a reminder to motorists, a sign in front of the Sandwich Park District building states, “If you can read this, you’re going the wrong way.”

A northbound lane remains open for residents living along Latham Street to access their homes. Motorists are urged to avoid Latham Street as much as possible during the construction project.

By 3 p.m. Thursday, both northbound and southbound lanes are expected to be open.

Good weather has helped to move the project along. The project is being funded by local, state and federal funds.

When completed, more than a mile of existing pavement will be widened and replaced. The project runs from the railroad tracks at East Center Street north to Sandhurst Drive.

Sewer and water improvements also are part of the project.

“We kind of widened the road a little bit from where the utilities were,” Sandwich Mayor Todd Latham said. “We put all brand-new water infrastructure in there. I know some of the residents will see better water pressure and better regulation of the water and delivery to their homes. And on the sewer side, same thing. We’re putting in some larger lines. Everything will be brand new, so we’ll have better drainage. And, ultimately, it will be a brand-new road. All the people who live on that particular street or drive through there will see the benefit of that project.”