PLYMOUTH, Vt. – The Plymouth Selectboard heard from VTrans at their Nov. 18 meeting regarding the upcoming construction of six bridges that will sequentially be replaced, starting in the summer of 2025, and continuing through the summer of 2027.
As a result from the July 2023 flooding, the six bridges had major damage, received temporary emergency repairs, and are now in need of permanent replacements. Bridge 4, Bridge 7, and Bridge 9, all located over Pinney Hollow Brook on Route 100A in Plymouth, along with Bridge 108 over Money Brook, Bridge 112 over Tinker Brook, and Bridge 116 over Reservoir Brook along Route 100 are all slated to be rebuilt with hydraulically adequate replacements that will minimize impacts to traffic in the event of future storm events.
Consultant project manager Rob Young went over Bridges 4, 7, and 9, located along Route 100A, explaining that the span of each bridge will be lengthened, and the stream will be “reestablished to its natural state” in each of those bridge locations. Bridge 9 will be the first bridge project, with construction to take place in the summer of 2025. Bridges 4 and 7 will be reconstructed sequentially in the summer of 2027.
Structures project manager Gary Laroche described Bridge 108, over Money Brook on Route 100, as having an “enormous sediment source” upstream of the bridge, which then comes downstream during a storm, clogs the bridge, and runs along the roadway. Laroche said they plan to install two additional 12-foot-wide box culverts on either side to relieve the flow of sediment, and also allow equipment to get into that area to clean up materials and debris after a storm. Bridge 108 construction will also begin sequentially in 2027.
Bridge 112 over Tinker Brook will see a 20-foot box culvert replacement in the summer of 2026. Bridge 116 over Reservoir Brook also collects large amounts of sediment, and will be replaced with a 60-foot-long bridge, and the stream will be realigned, with construction to begin sequentially in 2026.
Tom Knight, principal transportation representative, explained that detours may be more difficult to local traffic who live and work on Route 100 or 100A, as you will have to loop around, but some projects will impact anyone traveling from Ludlow to Killington, with a detour using Route 103 to travel north into Rutland, and onto Route 4 into Killington.
Bridge 9 on Route 100A, being the first project on the agenda for the summer of 2025, will see a 45-day closure. Knight said the construction will begin in April, with the actual closure to begin coinciding with school summer break.
Bridge 116 will be closed for 45-60 days, and Bridge 112 will see a short 7- to 14-day closure, both in the summer of 2026.
Bridges 4 and 7 will each see closures of approximately 28 days in the summer of 2027. Bridge 108, with the largest detour on the map, will have a 1- to 2-week closure in 2027.
Knight expressed sympathy for the disruption the projects will cause to local residents and businesses, stating, “28 days to build a new bridge is pretty aggressive.” Alternatives to do one-lane bridges or temporary bridge options are more expensive, and the construction timeframe is much longer. With each bridge project, they are trying to be proactive to complete it as quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively as possible.
Fact sheets for each bridge project can be found at:
Bridge 4 – https://resources.vtrans.vermont.gov/FactSheet/default.aspx?pin=23B758
Bridge 7 – https://resources.vtrans.vermont.gov/FactSheet/default.aspx?pin=23B755
Bridge 9 – https://resources.vtrans.vermont.gov/FactSheet/default.aspx?pin=23B757
Bridge 108 – https://resources.vtrans.vermont.gov/FactSheet/default.aspx?pin=23B746
Bridge 112 – https://resources.vtrans.vermont.gov/FactSheet/default.aspx?pin=23B791
Bridge 116 – https://resources.vtrans.vermont.gov/FactSheet/default.aspx?pin=23B754