The Department of Transportation (Department) will conduct a Public Informational Meeting concerning the proposed Rehabilitation of Bridge No. 00793A Route 15 Northbound Over Quinnipiac River in the Town of Wallingford on Thursday, May 12th, 2022. The formal presentation will begin at 7:00 p.m.
The project is identified as State Project No. 0148-0213.
The purpose of the project is to rehabilitate the existing bridge. Constructed in 1946, the existing structure is comprised of two simply supported spans with a reinforced concrete deck supported by 5 rolled steel beams resting on reinforced concrete abutments and a reinforced concrete pier wall. The existing substructure is founded on timber piles. The existing structure has a maximum span of 51 feet and has a 31-foot curb-to-curb width and a bituminous concrete overlay with woven glass fabric waterproofing membrane. The existing structure length is 107 feet. The average daily traffic (ADT) is approximately 29,600 vehicles per day (2020). R-B 350 metal beam rail extends from the approaches over the bridge to shield a non-MASH open bridge rail.
The most recent Routine Inspection Report assigned the deck and bearings a rating of “4” which indicates that the structure is in poor condition. The existing superstructure is currently rated a “6.” The concrete deck deterioration shows deep spalls with exposed rusted rebar and section loss. The bearing devices exhibit moderate to heavy rust and appear to be frozen. The substructure is rated a “7”. Due to the extent of the deterioration of the existing bridge, Project 0148-0213 has been initiated to rehabilitate the bridge.
The project is currently in the preliminary design phase. Since the deck was previously patched under a rehabilitation project and due to the extent of deterioration of the deck, a superstructure replacement is anticipated. The current proposed construction method is to demolish the existing bridge superstructure and replace the bridge with PBUs. Based on the existing condition of the substructure and the fact that the substructure it is founded on piles, the existing substructure shall remain and be repaired as required. On the bridge, an existing historic open bridge rail resides on either ends of the bridge. A Department’s MASH compliant open rail system will be installed for the final condition. The new rail would satisfy the context-sensitive design stipulation that would benefit the Wilbur Cross overall. During a 200-year storm event, up to 24.7 feet of scour may occur which would expose the timber piles and cause destabilization of the overall structure. The proposed scour countermeasure is to excavate the existing streambed and placing a riprap blanket under both Bridge No. 00793A and 00793B from abutment face to abutment face. The riprap will have streambed material washed into it and will be top dressed with 1 foot of streambed material in the final condition.
There are right-of-way impacts associated with the proposed improvements. Temporary construction easements are required for the work. For use of access to the project site by the contractor, an existing dirt road East of Bridge No. 00793A will be utilized. From North Plains Highway, onto United Concrete property, the contractor will enter through the Southern entrance of the lot. From the entrance, a 20 feet wide temporary construction easement will be necessary to enter the access road. The access road within United Concrete property will enter the Town of Wallingford (Lakeside Park) property to the project site.
Construction is anticipated to begin in Spring 2024 based on the availability of funding, acquisition of rights of way and approval of permit(s). The estimated construction cost for this project is approximately $6.5 million. This project is anticipated to be undertaken with 80 percent Federal Funds and 20 percent State funds.
The public informational meeting is being held to provide the public and local community the opportunity to offer comments or ask questions regarding the proposed project. Persons with limited internet access may request that project information be mailed to them by contacting Nicholas J. Martin by email at Nicholas.Martin@ct.gov or by phone at Office (860) 594-3609 / Telework (774) 451-3342. (Allow one week for processing and delivery.)
Individuals with limited internet access can listen to the meeting by calling (888) 566-5916 and entering the Participant Code when prompted: 9977843. Persons with hearing and/or speech disabilities may dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS). The MS Teams Live Event offers closed-captioning for the hearing impaired and non-English translation options. A recording of the formal presentation will be posted to YouTube following the event and closed-captioning (including non-English translation options) will be available at that time. The recording will also be available in the list of DOT virtual public meetings here: https://portal.ct.gov/dot/general/CTDOT-VPIM-Library
Visit the project webpage for options for Apple users. During the Q&A session and the 14 day comment period that follows the meeting, individuals may leave a question or comment via email (preferred) at DOTProject148-213@ct.gov. Individuals may also leave a voicemail question or comment by calling (860) 944-1111. Please reference the project in your voicemail.
Language assistance may be requested by contacting the Department’s Language Assistance Call Line (860) 594-2109. Requests should be made at least 5 business days prior to the meeting. Language assistance is provided at no cost to the public and efforts will be made to respond to timely requests for assistance