Simsbury, CT, rests along the shores of the Farmington River. Established in the 1600s, it exemplifies a quaint New England town. Its 35 sq. mi., with approximately 22,000 inhabitants, includes antique homes, bed and breakfast lodging, the white steepled church and farmland. Similar to many communities in the northeast, the town prides itself in its past and welcomes in the future, finding a compromise between the two time periods.
It is this desire to retain part of the past that caused the town to opt for repairs rather than construction of a new structure when the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) decided to replace the truss bridge carrying Route 185 over the Farmington River. Earlier, Simsbury had substituted another older bridge with a modern structure and now had second thoughts about repeating this decision. In 1995, in fact, the town had used federal funds to restore the Old Drake Hill Bridge, a unique example of 19th century metal-truss bridge construction. Since then, a group of residents have built a community garden around the bridge to add to its beauty. “In order to keep the character of the town, Farmington declined a conventional bridge replacement,” explained Michael Wrable, Simsbury director of public works.
The bridge’s banks have another prize that must be maintained: The largest tree in Connecticut. The Pinchot Sycamore stands 75 ft. high, has a circumference of 25 ft. and is more than 400 years old. The tree is named in honor of Gifford Pinchot, a native of Simsbury and head of the U.S. Forest Service under Theodore Roosevelt. Part of the contract is working with the town to devise the best way of putting a cantilevered sidewalk around the tree. The final bridge will be open both to cars and pedestrians.
Mohawk Northeast of Newington, CT, is the construction firm chosen to complete this $3.3-million job over a two-year period. Founded in 1968, Mohawk performs a wide variety of heavy construction jobs including bridge construction and rehabilitation, highways, sewer/water work and site development.
The 230-ft. steel bridge that spans the Farmington River requires a new deck between the two piers, several new beams to replace those that have rusted out, and new plates. Work started in mid-December 2001.
“One of our major challenges is keeping the bridge open to two-way traffic during the day,” said Erich Carlton, superintendent of the job. Route 185 that leads to Route 44 and then on to Hartford is a major roadway for commuters in the morning. Traffic can be very heavy because it is a main road to the capitol. This necessitates that the majority of repairs be done at night. “We complete about 28 ft. of decking a night with a crew of about 10. One side of the roadway is left open for traffic.” During the day, the team works on the steel plates below the structure. Because of the intricacy of structural design, most of the work has to be held to a .06 in. (.016 cm) or less to meet specifications. Carlton plans on the work taking less time than the allotted two years.
Mohawk is relying on its fleet of Caterpillars to move the project along. The Cat IT28F is bringing the steel beams to the bridge and an M320 wheel excavator is helping to move the barriers and set the slabs each night. The Cat 330 is removing the bridge deck. According to Carlton, Mohawk has used mostly Cat equipment for the past five years.
Painting the bridge will present another challenge, said Carlton. So that there is no pollution, the structure must be totally contained when it is sandblasted, primed and painted. The crew will have to put plastic sheathing around the bridge to catch any debris that could fall into the river. That work should begin later this summer.
When the job is complete, Simsbury will have retained one of the most unique bridges in the northeast. In addition, commuters will have a safer than ever drive over the Farmington River on Route 185.
