Section of Route 147 in Middlefield to be One-Way During Durham Fair

If you are are planning on driving to the Durham Fair from Middlefield this weekend, then you shouldn't have any problem taking Route 147. 

But, on your way home, you'll likely find yourself on a detour.

The state Department of Transportation is making Route 147 a one-way street due to the ongoing reconstruction of a bridge over the Coginchaug River begun earlier this year.

DOT spokesman Kevin Nursick said the state decided this was the best scenario to accommodate vehicle traffic for popular and heavily-attended Durham Fair as well as the construction process at the bridge.

James Ruitto, project manager, said that the one-way portion will be between the intersections of Route 147 at Cherry Hill Road in Durham and Miller Road in Middlefield. Travelers coming from Middlefield into Durham can find detours on both of those streets and police directing traffic, Ruitto said.

For Thursday, the first day of the fair, traffic will be the usual two-way travel. But beginning on Friday, Sept. 27 at noon, and continuing until Sunday, Sept. 29, the one-way travel will be in place, Nursick said.

But, later in the evenings on each day as more people begin to exit the fair rather than go into it, Nursick said the state police may make a judgement call as to whether to effectively reverse the one-way travel. 

So, instead, traffic may be one-way from Durham into Middlefield rather than the other way around, Nursick said. He said this would be done to accommodate the scores of people who may be leaving the fair toward the end of each evening, depending on traffic levels.