As of September 29, 2020
The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department will be completing several road improvement projects on Wenlock WMA, West Mountain WMA, and Bill Sladyk WMA in the Northeast Kingdom from October through mid-December. Most roads will remain open during construction, but drivers should use caution, and travel may be delayed at times.
Bill Sladyk WMA
Hurricane Brook Road:
- Sept. 30 – Oct. 9: Roadside brush clearing will take place on the section within 1 mile of the railroad tracks.
- Oct. 1 – Dec. 11: Ditching, culvert installation and replacement, and gravel application will be implemented from the railroad tracks for approximately 1 mile northward.
- There will be one or two days during which the Hurricane Brook Road will be closed. Signage with closure dates will be posted on the road near the junction with VT Route 114.
North Shore Road (Holland Pond area):
- Oct. 1 – Dec. 11: Gravel will be applied from the junction of North Shore Road to the north parking area (Round Pond Trail Access).
West Mountain WMA and Wenlock WMA
- Roadside clearing has begun in the Dennis Pond and Wheeler Pond section of the WMA, and will continue through October on Paul Stream-South America Pond Road, West Mountain Pond Road, and Paul Stream Pond Road.
- Road resurfacing is in progress in the area of Paul Stream Rd, West Mountain Pond Rd, and Paul Stream Pond Rd.
- Additional road surfacing will start within the next week in the areas of Dennis Pond, Wheeler Pond and South America Pond Road.
Roadwork will be occurring on many parts of West Mountain WMA during much of October. Most activity is planned to be completed before November.
Background
The department recognizes that this is an unfavorable time of year to conduct this work, which could interfere with hunting access and other activities on these lands. But, in order to take advantage of unanticipated federal funding, which became available in recent months and must be used by the end of the year, the projects must be conducted during this period.
Although the access projects may cause short term inconvenience or disruption for some activities this fall, the long term benefits of improved road access, parking and maintaining safe infrastructure using this unprecedented funding will benefit all who enjoy these WMAs for many years into the future.
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