By Aaron Rubin
Standard Correspondent
The first half of the Quechee Gorge Bridge reconstruction project is still underway and will be completed by spring next year, said state officials last week.
Construction on the eastbound side of the bridge began in April this year, with westbound traffic directed by a traffic signal. As anticipated, traffic along the bridge has gotten busier during this foliage season, said project manager JB McCarthy.
A statement released on Oct. 18 by the Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) said that while the eastbound side of the bridge was expected to open to commuters in November, they found that “critical components of the bridge structure are corroded to the point that additional repairs are necessary.”
McCarthy said AOT intended to strengthen the steel arch bridge with the addition of concrete and greater deadweight. However, the agency found that the steel plates on the bridge had corroded and action had to be taken.
“We have to have those be redesigned, then fabricated, and then installed before we can put any more concrete back on the bridge,” said McCarthy. “
Because fabrication drawings for the replacement plates are still under development and review, “there wasn’t going to be time to get those plates, install them and then form up and pour the concrete deck here before the weather changes,” leading to the current delay in reconstruction, said McCarthy. As a result, single-lane alternating traffic along the westbound side of the bridge will remain through the winter.
The replacement plates are expected to be installed by spring next year, after which the concrete deck can be poured and traffic can be flipped over for work on the westbound side, said McCarthy.
In the early part of the reconstruction efforts, the agency received word that GPS systems were diverting drivers away from U.S. Route 4, and hence away from the Quechee area and its stores.
McCarthy said AOT recognized this as an issue for businesses during foliage season given that “this is their big time of year.” He said several of them called the agency letting them know that business was down by an estimated 40 percent due to GPS units sending visitors away from the bridge and the path to businesses.
In response, AOT has posted signs near the bridge informing visitors that the gorge itself and nearby businesses are open. One business in Quechee that appreciates the state’s actions is the Vermont Antique Mall. According to its co-owner Cindy Walker, the reconstruction has not slowed the heavy traffic expected during foliage season. Walker says she is still seeing an influx of visitors from as far as Texas and Florida coming to the Mall during their visit.
“It’s basically, to me, a non-event,” Walker told the Standard. “We did hear that people were being routed around [the bridge], and then the state put up a very large sign that says the shops and gorge are open for visitors, so that really has helped.”
Walker said that “our visitor count is stable for the Mall” and that “we have had minimal complaints about the construction” while the Mall remains open seven days a week. “We had many, many buses through the fall this year, which was absolutely awesome. As far as my dealers go, my Mall is 100 percent full, and our sales are absolutely stable. Last year was our biggest year ever, and we’re right neck and neck with last year.” Walker has also engaged with visitors about the bridge project, informing them about the work itself and how it is not hindrance for them to view the gorge beneath.
For the eastbound side of the bridge, the state is looking at a completion time of spring 2025, said McCarthy. This will complete the first of the project overall, with work on the westbound side taking place after, and has a project completion date of October 2025.
McCarthy said “things should go better” with reconstruction on the westbound side of the bridge since “everything will be all ready” in regards to construction materials, with no more need for cleaning and painting that was already completed on the whole of the bridge. New bridge railing and pedestrian railing to the visitor center with parking lots will also be part of the completed project.
“That’s all being fabricated now,” said McCarthy.
McCarthy said that signage informing summertime visitors about town businesses will continue to be set up around the bridge during the second half of the project and ease frustrations of any delays due to single-lane traffic.
“Hopefully that will help direct people there and let people know that delays really aren’t that serious,” he said.