Record-Journal
09-04-2007, 11:29 PM
WALLINGFORD -- After a being closed for more than a year, the Christian Street bridge is open to traffic.
The completion last Wednesday was nearly three weeks ahead of the construction schedule and in time for the start of school.
Being a heavily traveled east-to-west thoroughfare, the closure gained widespread attention from the public.
“Wherever I am, people are always talking about it — ‘What’s going on with the bridge?’ ” said Assistant Town Engineer Robert Baltramaitis, who designed the new bridge structure.
Unlike most recent bridge projects, the Christian Street bridge project was designed and worked on in-house, by the Engineering and Public Works departments.
The project was accomplished with a modest budget and construction was completed within four months. Construction started at the beginning of June.
“I think it’s a mark of distinction that was achieved, because it’s not something they typically do,” said Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr., referring to the public works employees who built the bridge.
Baltramaitis said employees were able to keep track of the project effectively to avoid delays.
“There was a lot of potential for things to go wrong and there would be delays,” he said, “but collectively, we did a real good job of foreseeing the unknown and we were able to move forward.”
Baltramaitis created a design that would be feasible as a construction project for public works. The central structures of the bridge are two metal boxes called culverts that span Wharton Brook.
The unconventional decision to have the town build the bridge on its own came after major delays in the state permitting process.
The bridge was closed in June of last year, when town officials found that it was seriously deteriorated. After the closure, the town unsuccessfully spent months trying to get a bridge design approved for a federally funded reimbursement program.
It was in March that Dickinson directed the Engineering Department to look at other ways of getting the bridge constructed.
Pressure was mounting from the public at the time and Town Council Chairman Robert F. Parisi urged the administration to find another strategy for the bridge.
The in-house project turned out to be cheaper than going through the state Department of Transportation’s “local bridge program.” Under the state program, the bridge would have cost the town between $560,000 and $630,000 after a 30 percent reimbursement.
While the final number is not in yet, the in-house bridge project will probably cost the town just under $300,000, according to Baltramaitis.
Town Engineer John Thompson said the success of the project shows that “public works can in fact construct these things.” The question now is whether the Public Works Department has the manpower to spare for such projects, Thompson said.
Dickinson acknowledged that some public works activities, such as paving, were pushed back as the department focused on the bridge this summer.
Resident Robert Sheehan said the town did a “superb job” rebuilding the bridge, but said the town took too long to finish the project.
The situation was especially troublesome because of the winding detour route.
The completion last Wednesday was nearly three weeks ahead of the construction schedule and in time for the start of school.
Being a heavily traveled east-to-west thoroughfare, the closure gained widespread attention from the public.
“Wherever I am, people are always talking about it — ‘What’s going on with the bridge?’ ” said Assistant Town Engineer Robert Baltramaitis, who designed the new bridge structure.
Unlike most recent bridge projects, the Christian Street bridge project was designed and worked on in-house, by the Engineering and Public Works departments.
The project was accomplished with a modest budget and construction was completed within four months. Construction started at the beginning of June.
“I think it’s a mark of distinction that was achieved, because it’s not something they typically do,” said Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr., referring to the public works employees who built the bridge.
Baltramaitis said employees were able to keep track of the project effectively to avoid delays.
“There was a lot of potential for things to go wrong and there would be delays,” he said, “but collectively, we did a real good job of foreseeing the unknown and we were able to move forward.”
Baltramaitis created a design that would be feasible as a construction project for public works. The central structures of the bridge are two metal boxes called culverts that span Wharton Brook.
The unconventional decision to have the town build the bridge on its own came after major delays in the state permitting process.
The bridge was closed in June of last year, when town officials found that it was seriously deteriorated. After the closure, the town unsuccessfully spent months trying to get a bridge design approved for a federally funded reimbursement program.
It was in March that Dickinson directed the Engineering Department to look at other ways of getting the bridge constructed.
Pressure was mounting from the public at the time and Town Council Chairman Robert F. Parisi urged the administration to find another strategy for the bridge.
The in-house project turned out to be cheaper than going through the state Department of Transportation’s “local bridge program.” Under the state program, the bridge would have cost the town between $560,000 and $630,000 after a 30 percent reimbursement.
While the final number is not in yet, the in-house bridge project will probably cost the town just under $300,000, according to Baltramaitis.
Town Engineer John Thompson said the success of the project shows that “public works can in fact construct these things.” The question now is whether the Public Works Department has the manpower to spare for such projects, Thompson said.
Dickinson acknowledged that some public works activities, such as paving, were pushed back as the department focused on the bridge this summer.
Resident Robert Sheehan said the town did a “superb job” rebuilding the bridge, but said the town took too long to finish the project.
The situation was especially troublesome because of the winding detour route.