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Health & Fitness

UPDATE June 3, 2014, Walnut Hill Road / Limekiln Brook Bridge: Paving Done Yesterday, Finish Date Probably Weeks Away

Report and Photography by Paula Antolini

See VIDEO of road paving work here.

See more photos here: picturesbypaula.com

Yesterday's high temperature was about 86 degrees but it felt like over 100 degrees as the roads were paved with asphalt on and around the Walnut Hill Road / Limekiln Brook Bridge.  

As the asphalt was pouring out of a dump truck into another piece of equipment that spread the asphalt, Binita Shakya from GM2 Associates of Glastonbury, was carefully measuring the temperature of the asphalt with a device she held in her hand, placing it over the molten hot material, to insure it was the required temperature.  Chad Wallace, who works for the same company, was checking the compaction of the asphalt, he said.

Manish Gupta, an inspector for GM2 Associates, said his company has been working on this project for at least "600 days," hired by the town of Bethel, as they took over the project from another company.  When asked if he knew what the cost of the project was, he said, "It was underbid.  With all the change orders, around 1.2 million." He said it was paid for by the state. (This is not official, I am just quoting what the worker said.)

Gupta also spoke about the edges of the roadway where the dirt slants down at a steep angle towards one home owner's property.  He said they would be installing "geotextile" on top of the slanted soil, which is a fabric that holds everything in place, then more soil would be added and special  "vegetation" will go on top of that. But as far as decorative plantings are concerned, he said the town would "work something out with the home owners."

General Contractor Paul Matos of Iapaluccio Inc. of Brookfield, was there with his crew and paving equipment and has been working on this project since April 2013, he said.

I walked over the bridge and it felt great to see it was starting to resemble a road again, and to know we are getting somewhat closer to project completion. I peeked over the sides and saw the pretty brook underneath, whose serenity was the direct opposite of the organized multitude of activity going on with the paving, dirt leveling, asphalt dumping, shoveling and raking, a few feet away, done by several different companies working in unison.

Later I saw a white car drive over the bridge, as workers were standing all around. I am not sure who that was, and it is not legal to use the road yet, but I would imagine the driver was thrilled to finally use the road.

There are numerous areas that need still safety measures installed, such as guard rails, before the road can legally open, Gupta said.  The finish date of the project was to be June 12th according to the date from the town, Gupta said, but he thought it would be more like June 20, 2014.  

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