Portion of West Main Street Closed Beginning Friday

This weekend is a good time to test your knowledge of the side roads in Cheshire near West Main Street and Willow Avenue.

That's because one of the busiest roads in town will be closed so crews can install two large box culverts where the old Farmington Canal runs.

The road, which is state Rt. 68 and 70, will be closed between Willow Street and Railroad Avenue for about 60 hours beginning at 8 p.m. Friday and reopening at 6 a.m. on Monday.

The detour planned by the state Department of Transportation is circuitous one. Traffic heading west toward Waterbury will be directed onto Willow Street, Cornwall Avenue and Mountain Road before returning to West Main Street.

Access to businesses along the closed portion of West Main will be allowed , the DOT wrote in a statement.

Mastrobattisto Inc. of Bristol was awarded the $987,000 contract to reconstruct the culvert in March. The project is expected to finished in June 2012.

Delays in completing the state project have put the town's West Main streetscape project on hold, officials have said. New brick sidewalks and period lighting have been added to portions of road, but the work can't be finished until the culvert reconstruction is complete.