FAIRLEE, Vt. (WCAX) – A 4th of July parade in the Upper Valley could be hitting some bumps in the road – literally.
The annual celebration has been happening in Fairlee for decades, but now that roadwork on I-91 has detoured cars onto Route 5, the traffic will be too much for the parade.
The small town is seeing so many vehicles along what would normally be the parade route that they had to install a temporary traffic light.
Residents say they are sad about the decision, but business owners in the area are embracing the extra visitors. Janice Neil of Jan’s Fairlee Diner says their restaurant and new ice cream stand will be open in lieu of the parade.
“I just wanted to be able to offer something to the community to people who are passing through on a special day that’s sad to our community that we are not having a 4th of July parade,” said Neil.
The 4th of July fireworks on Lake Morey will be going off as scheduled.
Work on the interstate is scheduled to go until September.