WEST LEBANON — After decades of problems and delays, construction to permanently replace the short span connecting Route 12A’s shopping plazas with South Main Street in West Lebanon is expected to start next year.
The city has awarded a $14.3 million construction contract for the project to Williston, Vt.-based Engineers Construction, Inc and is currently working through pre-construction processes, according to a Dec. 5 announcement from the city.
ECI presented the less expensive of two competitive bids for the project. It will be paid for with a combination of city, state and federal funds.
The bridge has been in need of repair for more than 30 years. This is the farthest it has ever progressed toward replacement.
Construction is expected to start in the spring and take about 28 months. It will be closed for a year during that time, though a schedule has not been released.
Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill, D-Lebanon, who served on the City Council for 20 years until last March and saw the project through many iterations and delays, said it is “good to see” that the project is finally nearing the finish line. It was one of only a few city projects that spanned her entire time on the council.
Decades of issues with the bridge came to a head in March when the city deemed the bridge unsafe for travel and closed the 145-foot structure that crosses railroad tracks leading into the Westboro Rail Yard. The month-long closure was marked by miles-long detours and congestion at a one-lane underpass on Glen Road.
After the bridge was repaired and reopened in April, the City Council and city staff returned to work to make the replacement a reality.
But, there were further issues when New England Central Railroad, which leases the train tracks below the bridge, declined to alter rail operations during construction. Doing so would have removed one level of traffic management for contractors and likely made the project less expensive and more appealing.
To make the project more appealing to bidders, save on costs and shorten the construction timeline, the City Council voted this summer to solicit construction bids that accounted for the bridge being closed to traffic during construction.
“There’s no doubt that this is going to be a disruptive project with an extended detour that’s going to affect a lot of people and businesses and residents and visitors,” Liot Hill said. “I think it’s going to be frustrating, but in the long run this is going to address a serious safety and transportation need.”