MassDOT Winter Safety Advisory: Lake Quinsigamond
Published on Friday, January 11, 2013 in In The News, News & Updates, Safety
Tags: press release, safety

The state has issued a Winter Safety Advisory for Lake Quinsigamond, where Worcester and Shrewsbury meet. The lake is a popular recreational spot for snowmobilers and other outdoor enthusiast. There will be open water at the construction site.

The construction operations at the Route 9 Bridge over Lake Quinsigamond are scheduled to continue throughout the upcoming winter months. The winter construction will result in changes from normal winter conditions on the lake, and the public should be aware of these conditions. The majority of the bridge work will be performed from the lake using heavy equipment on barges. A secondary off-site ‘staging area’ has been established approximately 1,000 yards south of the bridge from which workers, equipment and materials will be transported back and forth to the bridge site on a daily basis.

In anticipation of a typical winter with a frozen lake surface, the project team will be maintaining an OPEN WATER NAVIGATION PASSAGE between the two sites. This area must be avoided by all snowmobilers, Xcountry skiers, skaters, ice fishermen, or anyone else on the ice.

For public safety: warning signs, floats and lights will be anchored to the lake bottom to mark the boundaries of the open water. An aerial view of the open water zone and warning system is attached. Please take note of the following:

• The limits of this area extend from Route 9 approximately 1000 yards south. As a point of reference this is between the Shrewsbury Police boat house and the Italian-American Civic Club in Worcester.
• A minimum 100-foot wide channel will be maintained through the ice for the full length.
• Anchored at the north and south ends of this zone will be flashing message boards and reflective signs on steel floats. The message will read “DANGER – OPEN WATER”
• Along either side of the channel, floating drums with lights and reflectors will alternate with additional signs on floats.
• The elements of this marking system will be installed so that they remain in place though frozen or thawed lake conditions. The markers will be removed at spring thaw.

For more information on the bridge construction, or to be added to the project email list, please visit the project website at: www.mass.gov/massdot/kenburnsbridge. Photos: MassDOT