By Patrick Adrian
Staff Writer
BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. — As deliberations in Rockingham progress over a new bridge, public feedback appears to indicate that retaining the original, historic Depot Street Bridge should not be part of that plan.
Less than two years ago many residents expressed support for a plan in which the state would make repairs to convert the crumbling concrete arch bridge to a pedestrian-only passage, in addition to constructing an off-alignment vehicle bridge as a replacement.
The upside to the plan, according to Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) officials, was the original bridge would last the community another 40 to 50 years as a pedestrian bridge and compliment the downtown aesthetics and enjoyment of downtown Bellows Falls.
The downside: Rockingham would assume full ownership responsibility for the bridge, as the state would shift its maintenance attention to the new structure.
Shifting to the present, many town officials and residents are still voicing support for an off-alignment bridge, which would establish a desired connection between the downtown and The Island, a residential and commercial zone that the town is looking to develop for economic growth.
However, interest in retaining the original bridge appears to be fading rapidly, based on public feedback on Tuesday.
“The concern I have is of a bridge down the road that, as [Rockingham Selectperson Sue Hammond] said, could very well be falling into the canal someday,” said town resident Ellen Howard. “And we cannot afford that expense at that point.”
Concern over the bridge’s cost liability rose to the forefront in March when engineers detailed the full costs and risks to construct a similarly designed bridge, which would also apply to the current structure.
Unlike a steel truss design, which engineers are now proposing, the existing bridge’s supports are rooted in the canal itself. Any construction in the canal, including the removal of the structure, will require shutting down the canal temporarily, according to project consultant Scott Burbank from Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB), an engineering firm based in Burlington, Vermont.
In addition to construction costs, Rockingham will have to reimburse Great River Hydro, the power company that leases the canal, for lost revenue and expenses due to the period of closure.
If Rockingham removes the existing bridge now, as part of the state’s bridge replacement plan, 95% of that cost would be state or federally funded. Rockingham would only be responsible for the remaining 5%.
Another major concern is the fragility of the canal walls, which are also over a century old, to which the bridge is connected.
“If the bridge goes down you could have a partial collapse of the canal walls,” said resident and former town Public Works Director Everett Hammond. “And to me that’s one of the worst things that could happen because it could end up having a rippling effect and destroy canal walls downstream.”
Hammond said that worst-case scenario could cost Rockingham “multi-millions of dollars” due to a long canal shutdown to repair the canal walls in addition to removing the bridge and wall debris.
The selectboard appears to have narrowed their discussion to two project options.
The least expensive option is an on-alignment steel structure replacement bridge in the same location of the existing one. This project has an estimated total construction cost of $4.3 million, plus up to $960,000 in additional costs to close the canal. The town’s shared cost for this project is estimated between $454,740 and $474,740.
An alternative project would construct an off-alignment bridge further from the existing site. This bridge would include an attached pedestrian bridge to provide a direct connection between the downtown village and the Island. This project has an estimated total construction cost of $6.4 million with up to $1.4 million in projected additional costs during the canal closure, as the duration of closure would be longer for this option. The town’s cost share for this project would be between $1.81 million and $1.87 million.
A number of residents voiced support for the more expensive alternative, saying that having that connecting route is vital to support economic development on The Island as well as the downtown, which will increasingly rely on The Island to provide parking.
Casey Cota, owner of Cota & Cota, a heating and ventilation company based on The Island in Bellows Falls, urged the board to not be “penny wise but pound foolish” by choosing the cheaper option at present over one that will best support commercial growth on The Island. Replacing the bridge in its existing location will deter commercial trailers from using it because the turnoff downtown will be too narrow to accommodate large trailers, many of which are up to 53-feet in length.
“The bridge was originally built for what traffic was going to be 60 years from then,” Cota told the board. “I hope that when we make the decision as a town here that we keep in mind what traffic is going to be 60 years from now. Let’s not serve the purpose for where we are at today because that doesn’t move the town forward.”
The selectboard is expected to meet again with officials from VTrans and VHB and likely render their decision on a bridge project at their next meeting on Wednesday, June 2.
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