By J.W. Oliver
A backhoe works in a field at the corner of Route 129 and Shipyard Road in South Bristol Thursday, Sept. 4. South Bristol bridge contractor Cianbro will use the field and a nearby house as a staging area and office space during construction. (J.W. Oliver photo) |
The contractor that will replace the South Bristol swing bridge is on site and will remain until mid-January as it completes the early phases of the approximately $11 million job.
Heavy equipment and personnel from Cianbro, of Pittsfield, were busy at the corner of Route 129 and Shipyard Road Thursday, Sept. 4.
Cianbro and the Maine Department of Transportation will use the field, a nearby house, and a trailer as office space and a staging area for the bridge project. Cianbro is leasing the property from the new owners of Harborside, the adjacent restaurant and store.
Catherine Mettey is the resident engineer with the Maine Department of Transportation.
Mettey expects Cianbro to install signs and traffic signals the week of Sept. 8 to 12. Work in The Gut will begin the week of Sept. 15 to 19 as the contractor installs a cofferdam.
A cofferdam is a temporary, watertight structure in a body of water that keeps water out of an area during the construction of a bridge, dam, or pier.
“That’s the first thing they’ll be doing,” Mettey said.
The contractor also has to complete a hydrographic survey, which records the topography of the channel, Mettey said. The Army Corps of Engineers requires the survey.
Next, Cianbro will build a retaining wall on the southwest side of the channel. The construction of retaining walls around the channel will continue for some time.
The work at the bridge will reduce traffic to one lane. The project website warns motorists to expect delays.
Construction will stop in mid-January due to federal environmental regulations that limit work in the channel during certain periods. Work will resume about six months later.
The town of South Bristol will celebrate its 100th birthday the weekend of July 17 to 19, 2015. Cianbro and the DOT plan to return Monday, July 20.
The schedule calls for Cianbro to close the channel and install a temporary bridge Sept. 10, 2015. Cianbro will then demolish the swing bridge, build the new bridge, and remove the temporary bridge.
Cianbro will have until April 20, 2016 to reopen the bridge and the channel, Mettey said.
The contractor will then move to auxiliary work, such as the approaches to the bridge and paving.
The schedule calls for Cianbro to complete work by Nov. 15, 2016. “They’re hoping to complete it early,” Mettey said.
Cianbro will replace the 1933 swing bridge with a bascule bridge, a type of drawbridge. Cianbro secured the contract with a bid of $10,995,622.
Mettey said the DOT will post updates and pictures at http://www.maine.gov/mdot/gutbridge/
