Date: Fri 22-Mar-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

railroad-bridge-Church-Hill

Full Text:

w/photo: Planning Proceeds For New Railway Bridge

B Y K AAREN V ALENTA

Representatives of the State Department of Transportation's engineering office

met with town officials this week review the state's plans for the replacement

of the railroad bridge over Church Hill Road.

Tim Gaffey, DOT project manager, said there will be a public information

meeting "in about a month" to show the plan to interested residents and answer

their questions. An artist's rendering of the bridge will be done by the DOT's

graphic design department for the meeting to give residents an idea of what

the bridge will look like.

If everything proceeds as planned, the design will be completed in July, the

project will go out to bid in December, and the construction will be done next

year, Mr Gaffey said. A preliminary estimate of the cost is $2.5 million, 80

percent of which will be paid by federal transportation funds and 20 percent

by the state.

The new bridge will be higher and wider, increasing the vertical and

horizontal clearance underneath. The state code specifies a minimum height

clearance underneath of 14-feet, 6 inches; the new bridge, as planned, has a

clearance of 14-feet, 10 inches. The existing bridge clearance is 12-feet, 7

inches, a tight squeeze for many trucks and an impossibility for most

tractor-trailers.

"We will be dramatically increasing the length of the span - to about 102 feet

- so that it can accommodate four lanes (of traffic) underneath," Mr Gaffey

said. "We won't be doing anything with the road. But we wanted to widen the

clearance and set the abutments back far enough so that if 25 years from now

Route 6 needs to be widened, a new bridge won't have to be built."

Although discussions are still being held with the Housatonic Valley Railroad,

which owns the bridge, the plan is to relocate the existing bridge about five

feet to the southwest so that rail traffic can continue while the new "through

girder" steel bridge is being built. The new bridge will be built about 16

feet to the northeast, Mr Gaffey said.

The HVR bought the bridge from Conrail several years ago and had no intention

of replacing it. The DOT decided to do the project with federal and state

funds because of the problems with the underpass that affected truck traffic

on the state road.

Once the bridge is built, it will be turned over to the railroad for

maintenance. Because of this, Mr Gaffey said the DOT is planning a galvanized

and metalized bridge that will be coated with a clear sealer "which ideally

will give 50 maintenance-free years."

First Selectman Bob Cascella said the town wants to be sure that whatever is

used will be easy to clean because the bridge has a special attraction for

graffiti artists. He also asked about the time of day that the construction

will be done and how it will affect traffic.

Keith Hall, DOT bridge designer, said Church Hill Road will have to be closed

when the first two bridge girders are swung into place, but generally efforts

will be made to keep the road open. Work will be done during daylight hours.

Public Works Director Fred Hurley said the construction of the bridge will not

interfere with the town's sewer project because the sewer main will be

installed down the center of the street this summer. The sewer work will be

done during the night, he said.

Mr Cascella said there are sight-line problems because of driveways and access

roads close to both sides of the existing bridge. This problem should be

alleviated, Mr Hall said, when the clearance is enlarged.

Mr Gaffey said the DOT may need to acquire some temporary rights from adjacent

landowners to hold equipment and materials during the bridge construction

process. It will take "about one season" to construct the bridge, he said.

Others who attended the meeting in the conference room at Town Hall South

included Tony Wamuo, project engineer for the DOT's highway section, Town

Engineer Ron Bolmer, Conservation Director David Thompson, John Whitten of

Fuss & O'Neill, the firm which is doing the town's sewer project, and Police

Lt David Lydem, who is in charge of the police department's traffic unit.

Mr Gaffey and other DOT representatives will meet with Mr Cascella again next

week to discuss the planned bypass road through Fairfield Hills.