This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
04/12/2016 12:30 PMThe Walnut Street Bridge over the Falls River, which was originally constructed in 1968, is at the end of its useful life and is need of rehabilitation. Attendees at a March 22 public hearing received an update on costs—about $2 million—and got an idea of how long it’ll take—hopefully eight months or less.
“This is an extremely important project for the town since this bridge connects Main Street in Ivoryton to a residential neighborhood,” said John Guszkowski, a consulting planner hired by the town for the project. “The advantage of doing this project now is that 80 percent of it will be funded by federal funds.”
The remaining 20 percent of funding will come from town funds, which are part of the Capital Improvement bond that was passed in December 2014.
Ultimately the goal is to begin physical construction on the deteriorating bridge sometime in June 2017.
“At this point there is no opposition from the public, so we should be moving ahead with the project, with little to no hiccups,” said CME Associates’ Jodi-Ann O’Connor, the Federal Local Bridge Program coordinator.
O’Connor said the project is currently in the early design phase. Preliminary plans call for the replacement of the four current culverts, with a clear span design. However, O’Connor said that there are still a number of permits to be obtained from the State of Connecticut as well as the federal government before any work can begin.
The Walnut Street Bridge was inspected in 2013 by the Connecticut Department of Transportation and was found to be in need of “high-priority replacement” due to its age and condition.
Ultimately, bridge construction will include 50-foot-long, single-span, pre-cast concrete beams and feature a five- to six-foot sidewalk,. There will also be new guide rails and anchors, full depth reconstruction of pavement, improvements to the existing drainage system, and an improvement of safety of approaching roadways.
The road will be closed to traffic with a detour during construction and overhead utility wires will be relocated as required.
The entire construction phase of the project is expected to take approximately eight months from start to finish.