EDITORIAL / OPINION

So far, so good. That seemed to be the consensus opinion on how the start of the long debated Route 12 widening project began on Monday.

The project will ultimately widen the two-lane road to four lanes -- with two turning lanes -- between State Street in Leominster and Benson Street in Fitchburg.

The MassHighway plan will also redefine curbs and sidewalks for pedestrian safety and reconstruct the complicated intersections at Erdman Way in Leominster and Wanoosnoc and Bemis roads in Fitchburg.

There will certainly be days -- perhaps many of them -- when the work on the Route 12 widening project backs up traffic and causes numerous headaches.

But perhaps because the work on the project that began Monday focused on side roads, there was little additional congestion along the main thoroughfare between the Twin Cities.

Construction workers started at the project's northernmost portion, where they will expand and realign the intersection with Bemis and Wanoosnoc roads.

They worked Monday on demolition and clearing to execute the redesign.

Bemis Road is expected to be closed for a few-block chunk east of Route 12 for the next month, according to Ray DiPerrio, a superintendent with A.F. Amorello & Sons, the Worcester company awarded the project's $7.5 million contract.

DiPerrio said in an on-site interview he plans to keep two lanes of traffic flowing on Route 12 for the whole summer.

"Things are going very well," he said. "Traffic is moving fine. I haven't seen any problems."

Work is scheduled to move southward as it progresses and last through June 2009.

Police officers were posted at the three biggest intersections, and DiPerrio said the stoplight at Bemis Road was changed to a blinking yellow at his request to help traffic.

Several business owners along the stretch of Route 12 interviewed Monday said they had noticed a lighter-than-usual traffic flow, but had not found a substantial impact on sales.

"Because my business is half delivery, half pick-ups, it will be reduced, but today there were no problems -- average, above average," said Stefan Bej, the owner and manager of Pizza King of Leominster.

There's no doubt that as the brunt of the widening work starts on Route 12, businesses along the road will be hurt temporarily by the construction.

But we think in the long run, the construction will be good for those businesses and great for the residents of Fitchburg and Leominster.

The widening project is long overdue.

We urge MassHighway officials to work with city officials to make sure there's as little impact as possible to motorists, business owners and residents.

And we ask for patience from everyone who has to travel, work or live on Route 12.