On Oct. 22, representatives from Vtrans presented findings from their Scoping Report for Cavendish ER BRF 0146 (13) Bridge #1 on VT Route 131 over Twenty Mile Stream prepared by T. Y. Lin International to the town of Cavendish. Members of the audience were invited to comment about the report and to identify concerns about the proposed bridge replacement.
The current
bridge, built in 1947, is a 128 ft long, two-span, simply supported steel
girder bridge, with a non-composite concrete deck. The bridge is set on a 45
degree skew, although the stream beneath is not well aligned with the
substructure. During tropical storm Irene, the south abutment was significantly
under minded. The abutment cracked vertically near the middle of the bridge in
two locations between girder lines, with the east half of the abutment settling
about 3 inches, causing the girders to pull away from the deck.
Because route
131 is such an important East/West corridor for the state, and the deficiencies
are so significant, causing weight load restrictions, it was determined that
the best option was to replace the bridge. As there are no significant issues
around wetlands, habitats, agricultural soils, floodplains, archaeological
issues or historic resources, the project was assigned to a newly formed
“Accelerated Bridge Program.” The purpose of this program is to reduce the
amount of time it takes to get a bridge replaced from five to two years.
Three primary
options were considered: Temporary Bridge; phased construction-leaving one lane
open so traffic could continue; or bridge closure and detour. According to the
Scoping Report, the most viable option was to close the road and replace the
bridge with a steel girder with precast deck panels. The costs were estimated
to be $1,935,000, which was the least expensive of the three options
considered. While phased construction was projected to cost $1,960,000, this
was not selected as “Phased construction on the existing road is something
that contractors prefer to avoid since it can create a more constrictive
working condition, require earth retention systems for construction, and will
increase the project duration since every task has to be performed at least
twice and MOT operation need to be reset and maintained.” It was estimated that a phased
construction approach would take 10 months, requiring two seasons to complete
the project.
Because a lot of
the work is precast, it will be done offsite, requiring a maximum of 35 days
when the road would be closed and a detour would be in place. The public detour
would be heading west, 106 to 10 to 103-adding 14.1 miles distance traveled.
The local detour, which would not be posted for public use, would be Brook Road
to Hoey to Center Road to Whitesville Rd to 131-adding 2.8 miles traveled.
Members of the
audience brought up a variety of concerns, some of which were based in past
experience when Route 131 was closed for two months following Irene. Trucks and
thru traffic ignored the signs and used the local access routes creating
significant issues for High Street residents.
There were
concerns that Brook Rd was not going to be able to handle the increase in local
traffic. It was noted that the Brook Rd Bridge currently has a weight
restriction of three tons. This was to be replaced this year, but since the
town is still waiting for FEMA funds, it has been postponed until the 2013
construction season.
Several heavy
equipment contractors live in the Brook Rd area. At least one voiced concern
about their ability to move their equipment because of the proposed detour.
The Vtrans
representatives said that unlike Irene, there would be sufficient time for
planning and there would be a dedicated signage approach. Further, Vtrans staff
would work with the town to plan for the maximum 35-day closure. They also
suggested that the town be given funds to help with local traffic control.
Finally, the project would not take place until after May 15, 2014, which
should be sufficient time to repair the Brook Rd Bridge.
Jeff Davis, Fire
Chief for Cavendish Fire Department, was very concerned about response times
for those living East of the bridge as well as being able to provide mutual aid
to Weathersfield and Reading fire departments. Vtrans believed that the two adjacent
town fire departments could provide coverage during the closure for those on
the east side of the bridge. There was also the concern that if the phased
construction approach was used, the weight restriction for the bridge would be
further lowered and the fire trucks may no longer be able to use the bridge.
However, no definitive numbers were given about what the weight restriction
might be.
When asked how
sure they were about the 35 times maximum for bridge closure, Vtrans explained
that the contractor would be significantly penalized if they went beyond the 35
days and rewarded if they brought the project in under 35 days. The contractor
would have the ability to run shifts 24/7 but activities creating significant
noise would be done during the day and not at night.
In the next
month, Vtrans will be finalizing recommendations for this project and the goal
is to have a contract in place by Oct. 2013 with construction taking place in
2014, sometime after May 15.
A copy of the
Scoping Report is available from the town office (226-7292), For those who
would like to voice additional concerns about the proposed project, send them
directly to:
Joshua K. Olund,
P.E., Ph.D., Structural Engineer
T.Y.Lin
International
12 Northbrook
Drive
Building A,
Suite 1
Falmouth, Maine
04105
207-347-4339
207-712-7028
(cell)
207-781-4753
(Fax)
Joshua.Olund@tylin.com
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