http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20120416/NEWS02/704169920
Published April 16, 2012 in the Rutland Herald
Wooden bridge on its way out in Springfield
By SUSAN SMALLHEER
Staff Writer
NORTH SPRINGFIELD — One of the few wooden plank bridges in the state is going to be replaced with a traditional concrete and steel bridge.
The Harry Hill Bridge, named after a longtime employee of the Springfield Public Works Department, is slated to be closed April 23 and reopened sometime in October.
The North Springfield bridge crosses the Great Brook and is located on the western edge of Main Street.
Motorists and truck drivers will be able to detour around the construction site by using County Road and School Street in North Springfield, said Springfield Public Works Director Harry Henderson.
The $2 million construction project is a joint effort by the town and the Agency of Transportation, with the town supplying 10 percent, or $200,000, toward the cost of the new bridge, Henderson said.
Henderson said he estimated the town has spent $200,000 in the past 10 years repairing the bridge and keeping it passable.
He said the town installed the wooden deck about 10 years ago. The bridge links North Springfield village with the North Springfield Industrial Park.
Henderson said if the North Springfield Market was still open, the bridge closing would prove to be more of a burden. The market, which drew many workers from the industrial park for lunch, closed last year.
According to a recent inspection by the Agency of Transportation, the bridge had a federal sufficiency rating of 39.2, with the substructure rating a “poor” grade, while the deck and superstructure were rated satisfactory.
The bridge dates back to 1935, as do many of the bridges in town. Henderson said the town had 47 bridges built between 1928-1935.
The report also revealed the abutments have “deep spalling at the bridge seats up to the bearings in places and some spalling in the curtain walls in places.”
The one pier supporting the bridge also shows great erosion of the concrete.
Town Manager Robert Forguites said he was checking with all the businesses in the industrial park to warn them of the closing.
A Maine bridge construction company which has done a lot of work in Vermont, according to Henderson, has been awarded the contract to build the new bridge.
Henderson said the town had hoped to replace the bridge with a large culvert to reduce costs but the idea was vetoed by the state.
This is so all the overweight trucks going to the biomass plant are safer lol
ReplyDeleteBut at least they're going to be able to chip the old planks and use them for POWER!
ReplyDeleteOh, what a surprise! The state is ponying up all the money for this teensy bridge in North Springfield... hmmmm... think Shumlin might support biomass?!?!?!
ReplyDeleteHow about asking the residents of the community if WE want the new $2 million bridge?
Ummm...you know how many years BEFORE the biomass was even considered that this bridge got put on the list for repair? Bridges sit on the "priority" list for years before they even get to the design stage, never mind funding for construction.
ReplyDeleteThe opponents of Biomass see a conspiracy under every bridge!
ReplyDeleteomg, what a waste of money and time. there is no reason why they can't go the way they ben going all along
ReplyDeleteDid you all not read the article posted on April 11 about all the crumbling bridges in Springfield? Even the one they just built? I find it hard to believe that this little North Springfield bridge with its tiny amount of traffic is the highest priority bridge for the town.
ReplyDeleteTwo million is an absurd amount of money to build a bridge. More wasteful government spending. They are a$$ holes.
ReplyDeleteThis bridge has been on waiting list for years (near 10 or more I think). It was falling apart with huge holes in it so they made a temporary top section out of wood; the boards were put in sideways so a year later they came up, so they had to redo it with boards lengthways. It is not, and was not rated for trucks.
ReplyDelete