Travelers in the West River Valley might be both pleased and dismayed to know that there will be Route 30 paving and other road projects going on soon. Expect some delays and alternative routes in the near future.
The big plan is to re-surface VT Rt. 30 in Brattleboro, Dummerston and Newfane. You may have seen people out taking measurements last year.:
“Project Location: Beginning on VT Route 30 in the Town of Brattleboro, at mile marker 0.326 (just north of the intersection of VT-30 and Cedar St.) and extending north for 9.948 miles and ending at mile marker 1.597 in Newfane (just past the intersection of VT-30 and Hemlock Hill Rd).
Project Description: Work will consist of milling the existing surface to a specified depth, then the first pass reclaim process will occur, pulverizing and homogenizing the remaining pavement with underlying subbase. New gravel will be placed in some areas along the corridor to improve banking, then a second pass reclaim process will take place which will facilitate a second round of homogenizing of the gravel and pavement as well as add in a stabilizing agent to create a structural layer of subbase. Following the second pass reclaim, a structural thickness of pavement will be placed, consisting of a combination of cold mix and hot mix asphalt.
Additional work will include the replacement and maintenance of existing guardrail runs, some culvert replacements, and ditching. There will also be work taking place to address some rock slope issues within the corridor. Signs along the corridor will be replaced and upgraded to meet current standards set in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).
The corridor will be evaluated for the installation of Centerline Rumble Strips (CLRS). CLRS will be installed where the speed limit is 45 MPH or greater, the pavement width is 14 feet in both directions, and the traffic volume exceeds 1500 vehicles per day. The CLRS will be stopped at Town Highway intersections, and anywhere that a residence falls within 100 feet of centerline. In these cases, the CLRS will be stopped and resumed 100 feet from either corner of the residence.”
The “target construction schedule” says Summer of 2022 through Fall of 2023.
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Another project that might influence West River Valley travel is the bridge project at the Newfane Arch Bridge in Williamsville. This $4+ million project starts today, March 14, 2022 and will continue until October 14, 2022.
The bridge will be closed to traffic on March 15, so anyone used to using Depot Road as a cut through over to Dover and Mt. Snow or back will be using Grimes Hill Road for the duration.
Here’s the project description:
Project Location: Town of Newfane in Windham County on FAS Route 106 (Depot Road/ TH-2) over the Rock River. The bridge is located approximately 1.9 miles west of the intersection of FAS Route 106 and VT Route 30.
Bridge 12, located along Depot Road over the Rock River in the Town of Newfane, is a historic reinforced concrete closed spandrel elliptical arch, constructed in 1908. The bridge is currently a one lane structure 100-feet long and 18-feet wide. In accordance with Vermont State Design Standards, the bridge is considered narrow with shoulder widths of 3.8-ft and a single lane width of 10-ft. The arch is in poor condition, considered structurally deficient and has a substandard vertical alignment and bridge railing. The subject project will replace the existing arch with a new arch meeting historic requirements.
VTrans evaluated alternatives for replacement of Bridge 12 in an engineering study completed in February 2015. The study assessed the proposed design criteria for the bridge and roadway alignment, Right-of-Way impacts, hydraulics and historic and cultural resources. Several alternatives were considered including no action, rehabilitation of the existing historic arch, full replacement with a new reinforced concrete arch, and full replacement with a prefabricated steel beam bridge with a concrete arch façade to mimic the original structure. Given the age of the structure and structural deficiencies, the engineering study recommended full bridge replacement with an offsite detour.
The new structure will be a functioning reinforced concrete arch similar to the original structure, with a major axis length of 76.5-ft and a minor axis length of 31.0-ft, to match the original bridge profile. This clearspan meets the hydraulic standard of passing the Q50 storm event with at least 1.0-foot of freeboard, and meets bank full width requirements. The new arch will continue to perform as a one-lane bridge via signage and the line striping pattern on the roadway but will be widened to 28-ft to accommodate any potential future two-lane traffic requirements. The lines and concrete details of the original spandrel walls will be replicated as close as possible to the existing characteristics. Additionally, all dimensions and proportions of the original arch will be maintained where possible in the new structure.
It is anticipated that the bridge will be constructed during the summer of 2021. During construction the bridge and Depot Road will be closed and traffic will be detoured via Grimes Hill Road and VT 30. This detour will add approximately 0.5 miles to the through route, and have an end-to-end distance of 4.5 miles. One lane of alternating must be maintained on Grimes Hill Road and Dover Road during construction.
Detour Route: Traffic will be maintained on an off site detour. Detoured traffic will utilize VT30 and Grimes Hill Road during construction. This route will add roughly .5 miles to the through route, for an end-to-end distance of 4.5 miles. Due to site constraints it is anticipated that the detour may need to be reduced to one lane, alternating traffic at the intersection of Depot Road and Grimes Hill Road/ Dover Road at the project site in order to construct the bridge.
