The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) today announced that by the end of October it will open seven temporary bridges that will provide the public access over brooks and rivers where Tropical Storm Irene damaged permanent structures, rendering them unusable for public travel.
The first two of these temporary bridges is scheduled to open this weekend, and once in use will provide the public unhindered travel along both Route 100A in Plymouth and Route 100 in Pittsfield. Opening the bridge in Pittsfield is significant as it will allow the public to travel freely along Route 100 between Stockbridge and Killington for the first time since the storm struck on August 28.
‘Erecting these temporary bridges will eliminate more than half of the storm-related road closures remaining along Vermont’s state highway system,’ said VTrans Secretary Brian Searles. ‘Opening Route 100 through Pittsfield this weekend will represent a major milestone because it will allow the free-flow of traffic without detours or major impediments for the entire 135-mile stretch of Route 100 between Ludlow and Newport just in time for the height of foliage season.’
Other locations where temporary bridges will soon be erected include:
· Barnard Route 12 by Oct. 29
· Bethel Route 12 by Oct. 7.
· Jamaica Route 30 by Oct. 15
· Jamaica Route 100 by Oct. 15
· Rochester Route 73 at the intersection of Route 73 and Route 100 by Oct. 15
Earlier this month, VTrans opened temporary bridges along Route 105 in Brighton and along Route 125 in Hancock. All of these temporary bridges will remain in place throughout the winter and until permanent bridges can be built.
Photos: Route 30 in Jamaica Village courtesy of VTrans.
Before winter, a temporary bridge also will be built along Route 73 in Rochester at the location where a temporary logging bridge was installed just after the storm. The logging bridge, while perfectly safe during warm weather, needs to be replaced for safe winter travel.
Tropical Storm Irene closed 34 bridges along Vermont’s state highway system. VTrans has reopened 25 (73 percent) of these bridges, while nine remain closed to full public travel. Two of these ‘closed’ bridges, however, are open to local traffic and emergency vehicles only.
Of the nine bridges that remain closed to full public travel, seven require temporary bridges and will be reopened by the end of October or sooner. The remaining two bridges, both located along Route 12A in Roxbury, will receive new bridges through a rapid-reconstruction method and are projected to open in mid December.
TOWN
ROUTE
BR#
Status
Proposed Opening Date
Barnard
VT 12
25
Closed
Temp by Oct. 29
Bethel
VT 12
30
Restricted
Temp by Oct. 7
Braintree
VT 12A
6
Open
Brighton
VT 105
84
Open
Temp in place
Cavendish
VT 131
1
Open
Cavendish
VT 131
3
Open
Clarendon
US 7
96
Open
Dummerston
VT 30
9
Open
Granville
VT 100
157
Open
Hancock
VT 125
23
Open
Temp in place
Hubbardton
VT 30
98
Open
Hubbardton
VT 30
96
Open
Jamaica
VT 100
78
Closed
Temp by Oct. 15
Jamaica
VT 30
30
Closed
Temp by Oct. 15
Jamaica
VT 30
40
Open
Jamaica
VT 30
42
Open
Moretown
VT 100B
7
Open
Northfield
VT 12A
32
Open
Pittsfield
VT 100
124
Closed
Temp by Sept. 30
Pittsfield
VT 100
126
Open
Pittsfield
VT 100
127
Open
Plymouth
VT 100A
8
Closed
Temp by Sept. 30
Plymouth
VT 100 A
9
Open
Readsboro
VT 100
23
Closed
Oct. 4
Rochester
VT 73
19
Closed
Temp by Oct. 15
Rochester
VT 73
13
Restricted
Temp. Not yet bid
Rochester
VT 73
17
Open
Roxbury
VT 12A
15
Closed
Dec. 15
Roxbury
VT 12A
22
Closed
Dec. 15
Roxbury
VT 12A
21
Open
Wallingford
VT 140
3
Open
Warren
VT 100
165
Open
Temp culverts in place
Weathersfield
VT 131
10
Open
Woodford
VT 9
11
Open
Source: VTrans. 9.27.2011