Danco bridge work
is in high gear
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — The Danco Drive bridge replacement project is finally moving along after about 60 days of delay waiting for utilities to be moved.
NJR Construction General Contractors of Torrington is now going full throttle once Eversource completed its work. The town had already done some tree work and other work around the bridge site, according to Highway Superintendent Travis Sirrine.
One lane of the bridge pavement is still in place while work is underway.
Elaine Sistare, town administrator, said plans call for two large precast culverts to be installed to allow the water to flow through. Each culvert is 10 feet tall and 14 feet wide Culverts that large — more than 5 or 6 feet — are no longer culverts but “bridges,” she said. The original water and sewer pipes are now exposed. They are large because originally they were to connect across the highway.
She said those pipes will end up between the “culverts” and the pavement. The new bridge will be two lanes again.
Three years ago Sirrine said the bridge has been in a slow deterioration for quite some time. An inspection found that it was “in worse condition than we knew” and weight and speed limits were put on the bridge while the process of getting it replaced started. The bridge was built around 1950.
The town had hired CDM Smith to do the inspection because the bridge was 19 feet, 6 inches long.
The state had changed it rules and any bridge shorter than 20 feet had to be inspected by the town.
The state was no longer inspecting any bridge shorter than 20 feet.
Sistare said the new bridge is longer than 20 feet and will go back on the state’s “rolls.”
The approximate cost for the bridge replacement is $2.6 million.
She said 50 percent of it is handled by the state and the other 50 percent is covered by the town. The grant was approved a couple years ago and the town has been adding to the capital projects budget to cover the town’s half.
As for when it’s finished, Sistare has her fingers crossed.
The town lost 60 days waiting for utility work and it has rained a bit. If the rains stay away from construction days and if the asphalt plants are still open in mid-November “we have a shot” of the bridge being finished, she said.
.
captions, page 5:
On the left side, pipes are supported while the bridge is being built
Corralling water on the right side of the bridge. More photos Wed. night on our FB page. Linda Lemmon photos.
Rebar is ready
caption, page 7:
The pipes are supported for now. When the bridge work is further along the pipes will be encased between the pavement and the bridge culverts. Linda Lemmon photo.