The PCL+FIGG Team will conduct the next on-site “trail talk” for the Public on Saturday, October 10, 2015. There has been a lot of progress at the I-91 Brattleboro Bridge project site, which will be shared with attendees. The talks will originate at the West River Trail near the marina. The trail talk will be led by Caleb Linn, Project Manager for PCL (lead contractor) and William Johnson, Senior Quality Engineer for FIGG (bridge designer).

Interested participants should meet the PCL+FIGG Team at the West River Trail trailhead on Saturday, October 10, 2015, at 8 a.m. and the talk will begin at 8:15 a.m. Participants will walk the trail to the I-91 bridge site, so please wear appropriate clothing and footwear.

Landowners and land managers have a direct impact on flooding and the capacity of land to withstand storm events through their land management practices. Well managed lands help reduce flooding and its impacts by stabilizing soils, thereby minimizing erosion, and retaining water onsite, which reduces peak runoff and the damaging energy of floodwaters.

Join us for a land management workshop on Saturday, October 17, 2015 from 10am to 3pm to learn about best management practices (BMPs) for flood- and erosion-prone lands and the programs and resources that are available to help landowners conserve their properties. Designed for landowners, farmers, foresters, and other land-based professionals, this workshop will create a framework for understanding river dynamics, healthy vs. impacted streams, the essentials of managing forest and agricultural lands and the basics of riverbank restoration.

Once again, this has been a very busy week on the Main Street Sidewalk Replacement Project! Several of the new street lights on the northern end of the project are installed, functional, and the old ones next to them removed. They look great and work into the viewscape quite nicely. By the end of the day today, we will be finished removing sidewalk and the remainder of the curbing (from High Street to the south end of the project) will be installed. The concrete crew will continue to work their way south with the new sidewalks and we anticipate that operation to be complete by next Friday if the beautiful weather holds out for us.

The quantity and quality of water in our region has direct impacts on all of us. Flooding causes a huge financial burden on municipalities, businesses, and individuals while threatening public safety. Droughts lead to crop failures, inadequate domestic water supplies, and stressed ecosystems. Water quality degradation diminishes ecosystem health, domestic water supplies, and recreational opportunities. New Vermont Clean Water Act legislation reinforces the need for all of us to treat water as a valuable resource.

Green Infrastructure (GI) is a suite of design tools and structural techniques that address all of these water issues by employing strategies that help to maintain natural hydrologic processes. GI presents significant opportunities for Vermont municipalities, businesses and individuals to reduce the impacts of stormwater on budgets and assets while protecting vital natural resources. As we adapt to the impacts of climate change, it is essential that we seek strategies to protect life, property, and our region’s natural resources.

Fortunately this week has presented us with perfect weather for construction! All the crews are moving full steam ahead and as you may have noticed, the majority of the sidewalks from High Street to Walnut Street are poured and opened!

We were able to get the small ditch on the street side of the new curbing paved earlier this week that will make parking and walking much easier on that portion of the project. The crew installing the brick strip is also moving right along (the picture above is an example of their work in the High Street bump out). We’ve gotten many questions about the purpose of the brick strip. Not only is it a decorative feature that ties together with our historic brick structures on Main Street, but it will allow us access to the underground electrical conduits in the future.

To reduce congestion on I-91, both Exit 3 on ramps will be closed on Sunday, September 27 from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. I-91 will remain open. Sunday closures will continue through October to manage leaf-peeping traffic.

I-91

Please see above re Sunday closures of Exit 3 on ramps.

Northbound I-91 traffic has been relocated onto the southbound bridge. Traffic will remain reduced to one lane in each direction on I-91 until completion of the new bridge. The new bridge will be 104’ wide and is designed to carry all four lanes of traffic –two northbound and two southbound.