Route 103 bridge reopening puts Chester back on the map

For the past three weeks, the state sent thousands of cars and trucks that normally shoot straight across one of southern Vermont’s few east-west routes a dozen miles up and over a hurdle-shaped bypass into Springfield.


http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20110711/NEWS02/707119933

Published July 11, 2011 in the Rutland Herald

Route 103 bridge reopening puts Chester back on the map

By Kevin O’Connor

CHESTER — Route 103 drivers from Rutland to Rockingham finally have good reason to honk their horns: After weeks of time-consuming detours, all roads again lead to Chester.

Contractors working almost round the clock for a month surprised even themselves Sunday by replacing two aging bridges and restoring traffic along this town’s central artery.

“We’ve got a lot of work left to go, but they’re open,” said James Hollar, co-owner of Cold River Bridges from nearby Walpole, N.H.

The saga began on May 16 when the state ripped out the nondescriptly named Bridge No. 9 near the local Sunoco gas station and detoured vehicles onto side streets. That inconvenienced seemingly all 3,154 residents and scared away countless more tourists, but was nothing compared to what followed with the removal of the nearby Bridge No. 8 on June 20.

Lacking another detour or room to divert traffic onto a temporary ramp, the state sent thousands of cars and trucks that normally shoot straight across one of southern Vermont’s few east-west routes a dozen miles up and over a hurdle-shaped bypass into Springfield.

The state didn’t expect the Chester bridges to reopen for at least another week. But the contractor toiled daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. (resting only on Father’s Day and the Fourth of July) to finish Sunday at 10 a.m.

Drivers and businesses hurt by a loss of traffic aren’t the only ones who’ll benefit from the early reopening. According to its state contract, the crew faced penalties of $15,000 to $20,000 a day if it didn’t finish by July 17. But by meeting the deadline, it will receive not only a $60,000 bonus but also an additional $600 for every hour ahead of the target (in this case, more than $100,000 in extra rewards).

“It’s not all about money,” Hollar said of his company’s quick work. “A lot of good guys worked hard a lot of hours — there’s a lot of pride there.”

The Chester project is just one of more than $100 million in state bridge work planned this year. Replacement of Lake Champlain’s Crown Point crossing has sparked more headlines and headaches, in part because drivers in Vermont and New York face even longer detours than those just endured by Rutland, Ludlow and Rockingham-bound cars and trucks.

But Chester’s challenge was nonetheless unusual. The state says only one other current project — the Singing Bridge on Route 14 in North Montpelier — lacks a nearby detour.

Route 103 drivers still face a bump or two because of related road and sidewalk work.

“There will be occasional delays,” Hollar says, “but you’ll be able to get through — no more detours.”