Department of Transportation officials say the replacement of the South Bristol swing bridge will move forward, despite the efforts of property owners who object to the design of the replacement bridge.
The DOT held a standing room-only public meeting in a hot South Bristol School gymnasium July 12.
“Barring anything that I’m not aware of, I expect to build this project,” project manager Steve Bodge said in response to a question about whether a petition drive by the group might delay construction. “I do not anticipate any changes in moving forward.”
The project schedule calls for the DOT to advertise for bids in spring 2013 and for contractors to start construction in summer 2013 and complete work by fall 2014, or, in a worst case scenario, spring 2015.
The DOT plans to use “accelerated bridge construction techniques” to reduce construction time and shorten the closure of The Gut, the narrow channel the bridge will span, to marine traffic.
“We will utilize the Sturgeon migration period to pre-cast and pre-fabricate bridge components,” Bodge said.
Conservation measures prevent construction in the channel during the migration period.
The contractor would float the components to The Gut by barge and lift them into place. “The methodology is sound,” engineer Vince Campisi said. “It works, it’s fast and it’s economical.”
The department estimates the cost of engineering and construction, including improvements to a stretch of Rt. 129 north and south of the bridge, at approximately $7.3 million, well under the $9.65 million project budget.
The federal government will pay 80 percent of the project cost; the state 20 percent.
A number of South Bristol property owners complained about the design and size of the replacement bridge, a European/Dutch-style Heel Trunnion Bascule, or lifting, bridge.
“We are disturbed that this [bridge] does not fit the community,” Beth Fisher said before presenting a petition to DOT officials.
Fisher said the petition contains 125 signatures.
According to the document, the petitioners “are opposed to a bridge with a contemporary design and such a huge overhead structure.”
They believe the “design and scale” of the bascule “does not complement the village,” as they say the DOT said it would, and “will dwarf the small scale of the site.”
“The height of the permanent structure is actually higher than any of the existing buildings in the village,” according to the petition. “We are not opposed to a bascule bridge, but the bascule design should be in keeping with the historic nature of our small, midcoast Maine village.”
As soon as the DOT officials opened the floor to questions following their presentation, the familiar complaints, mostly from seasonal residents in the hot, standing room-only gym, started pouring in.
“I think that’s an ugly and invasive design and it looks to me like you have made your decision and we have no options,” Priscilla Matthews said.
“This is the preferred option moving forward, barring any changes,” Bodge said.
“Do you have any clue why those of us who live here don’t like it?” Jack Goralnik asked.
Bodge, in response, recounted the DOT’s efforts to gather public input through a series of public meetings dating to 2009.
“I do not believe that everyone in the room is against the project,” he said.
South Bristol resident Ken Maguire defended the state’s plan.
“It’s innovative, it’s economical and it’s going to work and it’s going to work darn well for South Bristol,” Maguire said.
Later, Seymour Bernstein accused the DOT officials of giving “evasive answers” that left he and others “suspicious.”
Bernstein called for a show of hands of those who did and didn’t approve of the plan to replace the bridge
No one tallied the votes, but those who did approve of the plan appeared to outnumber those who didn’t.
Vince Campisi, an engineer on the project, said the DOT has come to South Bristol “every step of the way.”
“We didn’t want to design something in a little black box stuck away somewhere in a closet,” Campisi said.
Fisher said some of the public meetings were in the off-season, when seasonal residents were less likely to attend.
“At the end of the day, who makes the decision on what type of bridge gets built; and is there any kind of an appeal process?” Lee Schiller asked.
Bodge said the DOT will make the call “in conjunction with” the South Bristol Board of Selectmen and the town’s residents.
“If you want a person, it’s going to be me,” he said.
A two-week public comment period will follow the release of the DOT’s preliminary recommendation, Bodge said.
Tom Czyz said the bridge design, like other projects, including a recent renovation of the Thompson Ice House, should “complement the area.”
“I didn’t see it in the slides today,” he said, referring to the DOT presentation.
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” Campisi said. “Everybody’s going to have different thoughts about what this thing looks like.”
Campisi rehashed the public process to date, including the DOT’s investigation of possible alternatives to the present design.
“You name it, we looked at it,” he said, including rehabilitation of the existing, 1933 bobtail swing bridge and replacement with a similar design.
The European/Dutch bascule far outpaced the competition in terms of the price tag of construction and maintenance as well as the structure’s service life.
Deborah Wessells offered support for the design. “I think it’s clean, I think it’s light,” she said. “I don’t know if there could be a better design.”
“I think it looks as good as it could be,” Wessells said.
Lou Johnson disagreed. “We need to have some scale changes,” Johnson said, pointing to the planned four-foot shoulders on either side of the bridge as an example.
“It just looks so out of proportion for the little tiny town that was so sweet,” Johnson said.
South Bristol firefighter and first responder Terry Mitchell said the town needs the bridge, and quick.
Twice this summer, Mitchell, who lives on Rutherford Island, has been stuck on one side of the bridge for more than 15 minutes, she said. If there’s an emergency medical call for a subject on one side of the bridge and she’s stuck on the other, it might be a matter of life and death.
She said some local people want to weld the bridge shut to avoid that situation.
“The majority of the people who are here year-round do believe this is necessary,” she said of the project, and she thanked the DOT for their work.
Daniel Thompson said he relies on the bridge as a motorist and a boater. “I think all the steps that have been taken have been well-considered,” he said. “I like the design. I like the results.”
The meeting covered a variety of topics besides the design debate.
The placement of utility poles and cables have been a source of some concern.
Bodge said utility companies “are looking at submerging their cable in the ocean as opposed to being above The Gut” and the DOT is trying to encourage that option.
If the utilities opt for overhead cables, the DOT will encourage them to build at least 65 feet up and move the cables away from The Gut, Bodge said.
Rob Faulkner, the engineer designing the improvements to Rt. 129, said his design calls for a closed drainage system with curbs and catch basins instead of the existing open ditches.
The design will minimize the necessity for private property impacts, Faulkner said, although some will still be necessary.
“There are a number of properties that will be affected by right-of-way takes,” as well as drainage and temporary construction easements, officials said.
The state does not envision taking any dwellings or businesses, Campisi said.
The right-of-way process should start this fall, officials said.
The improvements will also include six new parallel parking spaces on the mainland side of the bridge adjacent to the southbound shoulder.
David Osier, owner of Osier’s Wharf, expressed concern about a statement that the DOT might remove and fill in a large culvert under Rt. 129 north of the bridge.
The culvert allows more circulation of the water in The Gut, Osier said. “If you fill that, it’s going to really affect the circulation for floating crates of lobsters.”
Ralph Norwood III suggested that, instead of removing the culvert, a better plan might call for a larger culvert, like the one he said he used to be able to navigate in a rowboat.
Bodge agreed to reconsider. “We underestimated the importance of that pipe and we’ll take a second look at it.”
Bodge also responded to a question about the availability of the small municipal parking lot south of the bridge during construction.
“It’s going to be entirely up to [the selectmen] how they use that property,” Bodge said, although he suspects contractors will request permission to use it as a staging area.
Bodge, in response to a question from a local contractor about whether the replacement bridge would have a weight limit, said it would be designed for all legal loads.
Sen. Chris Johnson and Rep. Jon McKane attended the meeting.
