By CHRIS FROST
Eagle Times News Editor
WEATHERSFIELD, VT — The town Select Board unanimously approved a temporary bridge bid during its Monday, Dec. 4, meeting.
The motion included $69,500 for the temporary bridge installation by Daniels Construction plus a $1,500 per month rental fee.
The Ascutney Basin Bridge was damaged during July’s heavy rains and is weight limited. The temporary bridge will be used until the deck of the permanent bridge is replaced.
Town Manager Brandon Gulnick said the town will rent the bridge for 9 to 12 months with the cost between $13,500-$18,000.
The town will seek to be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the cost.
“The way the reimbursement works is we have to go to bid, everything has to be documented, and once the select board approves the bid, we have to sign a contract,” Gulnick said. “The contract gets sent to FEMA, and FEMA obligates the funds. At that point, the state can release the funds to us after we pay the invoice.”
An issue, though, is a bridge rental fee that can’t be predicted.
“After we have the temporary bridge installed, we can go out to bid,” he said. “When we go to bid, we’ll get bids back based on the engineering specs we have to replace the bridge deck; then the contractor has to line up the work. It could be 6-12 months.”
The town will look for a bid with a six-month timeline.
“The FEMA local share is 75-25; then the state kicks in 12.5 percent. We’re responsible for the other 12.5 percent. That could be between around $11,000.”
The town has a highway capital maintenance reserve that currently has $89,000.
“If the fund balance recommendation is approved, it will have $104,000,” Gulnick said. “We could use that reserve for this project. We’ll have further matches, especially when we do the bridge. It was $500,000 to $600,000 estimated. We’re looking at a 12.5 percent match requirement for the bridge, too, and then we are looking at a couple of other projects.”
Weathersfield will need to take out a loan to pay for the work and get reimbursed later. Since the storm damaged the bridge, the town will be reimbursed for the work.
“That’s the way it’s been presented to us,” Gulnick said.
The temporary bridge will increase the weight limit to a T94-T95 rating limit, allowing anyone to drive across the bridge.
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