Scour – scourge of local bridges
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — Starting next month four bridges in need will get attention. Most are “afflicted” with scour.
Scour is the erosion of soil around a bridge’s foundation — piers and abutments — caused by fast-moving water. Most of the small bridges in the Quiet Corner have this problem, including Pomfret. It’s often repaired but pops up again, requiring more expensive attention.
First on the list, starting in April, is the bridge on Danco Road. Elaine Sistare, town administrator, said the construction will begin as soon as April and they hope to be finished by late fall. This bridge has a problem with age and beam deterioration, Sistare said. The cost will be covered 50/50 by the federal/state and the town. Danco Road is a dead end. There will be one lane available during construction.
Two bridges in East Putnam are next up. The bridge on East Putnam Road going over Cady Brook (near the intersection with Five Mile River Road) will be replaced, with construction starting by 2028. Sistare said the state DOT has accepted this project into its federal local bridge program. One-hundred percent of the cost will be covered, with the federal funds being funneled through the state. 
A couple years ago problems with this bridge, which included scour, were addressed. Sistare said the scouring problem is back again and called it critical. She said the state has moved forward already with the design and permitting. She added that the Army Corps of Engineers will also be permitting it; hopefully, it’s a simple enough project that the corps simpler, less time consuming, permitting can be used.
Last week Mayor Barney Seney announced this project in a press release. He said the town is “contemplating a project to replace the East Putnam Road Bridge over Cady Brook.  The bridge replacement project would receive federal funds under the Federal Local Bridge Program administered by the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Local and state policy encourages early information to citizens on such projects and encourages people to raise any concerns with municipal officials early in the planning process.  Persons wanting additional information should contact Town Administrator Elaine Sistare at 860-963-6800, ext113.
Next, further down the road, is the bridge on Chase Road crossing over Cady Brook (close to the intersection of Chase Road and Cady Road – the farthest away from the golf course). The cause for replacement of this bridge is also laid at the feet of scour, also in a critical stage. Sistare said this bridge project has also been accepted into the state DOT’s 100 percent cost coverage program. Like the East Putnam Road/Cady Brook bridge, it is also in the state’s design and permitting phase.
Sistare said each of these bridge projects will cost between $3 million and $3.5 million. Both replacement projects will require detours. 
The replacement of the bridge on Mary Brown Brook, on East Putnam Road, has been “on the town’s radar for a long time,” Sistare said. She said it is not eligible for the 100 percent covered program. It’s 50/50. She said they are working with the state DOT. Options for repair include “structural improvement,” such as strengthening the structure with a solid liner. A decision on the options is probably a few months away. 

caption, page 1:

One of Many
Many bridges in northeastern Connecticut are afflicted with scour. Here and at the top of the page is the Chase Road Bridge over Cady Brook in Putnam --- one of many that will have to be repaired/replaced. More photos on page 4. Expanded photo array Wed. night on our FB page. Linda Lemmon photo.

Captions, page 4:

East Putnam Road - Mary Brown Brook Bridge.

The Danco Road bridge. Putnam Town Crier file photo, 2022.