Canal Street Closures Begin: Salem Traffic Alert

SALEM, MA – Canal Street will be closed from Ocean Avenue to Hersey Street starting May 30 as part of the Canal Street Roadway Improvement Project.

The Ocean Street to Hersey Street closure is expected to go from May 20 to July 18, and no through traffic will be allowed. Detours will be put in place from Laurel Street, Linden Street, and Forest Avenue. Hersey Street will temporarily be made a two-way street for cars to get to Canal Street businesses.

The 600-foot section of Canal Street will only be open to local traffic, according to a statement from MassDOT.

From roughly July 18, to Aug. 22, Canal Street will be closed from Hersey Street to Forest Avenue. Detours will go from Broadway and Ocean Avenue.

To accommodate the detour traffic, the city will do some leveling and paving of the detour streets adjacent to Canal Street. Canal Street businesses will remain open during the roadwork, except for McDonalds, which will close for a separate renovation project.

The contractor will excavate Canal Street to 30 inches below the road surface and filled with a light concrete fill and a stabilizing high-strength geo-tech fabric, plus a final paving layer.

Additional information about this closure, including maps of the closures and detours and regular project updates are posted online at www.buildingsalem.com/canal-street-roadway-improvement-project/. There is also a sign-up form at that page to add your email address to the weekly email updates that are sent out regarding the project. Anyone with questions is invited to contact the City’s Engineering Department at 978-619-5673 or to email buildingsalem@salem.com.

Image via Building Salem