Construction to Resume on Walnut Hill Bridge Nov. 11

The following release was issued by First Selectman Matthew Knickerbocker’s office.

Construction crews will soon pick up where they left off on the project to replace the aging bridge over Limekiln Brook at the Walnut Hill and Taylor Road intersection in Bethel. 

The green light to resume work follows several weeks of intensive redesign work by architectural and engineering contractors and technical review by state Department of Transportation (DOT) officials to insure compliance with state and Federal reimbursement guidelines.  Clearance to resume work was granted by town officials Friday following approval by state DOT engineers.  

Iapaluccio Construction, the projects lead contractor, expects to be fully remobilized at the job site by Monday, Nov. 11.

Work to replace the deteriorated 1933 bridge was halted in early August when the supervising engineers discovered a previously unknown abnormality in underground bedrock formations, making it impossible to use the original design to secure the west-side wing wall of the bridge abutment. The construction challenges were further compounded by the constrained work area, lack of right-of-way access and multiple overhead utilities. New designs and construction methods were devised to address the problem.

The new design features six concrete and steel “micropiles” which will be drilled into deep rock formations, forming a set of piers that will be attached to a platform supporting the bridge footing.

Haywood Baker, Inc., a subcontractor specializing in geotechnical challenges, has been retained to perform the work, under the direction of the primary contractor and Kleinfelder Inc, the professional engineers responsible for the design.  

The bridge expected to be reopened to traffic by Jan. 1, barring weather delays. The contractor’s original reopening estimate was Dec. 1.

The amended contract will require all construction and finished landscaping to be fully completed by July 1, 2014.