Foot bridge finally comes to Wallingford
Toolbox
By SANDI SWITZER Herald Correspondent - Published: November 2, 2009
WALLINGFORD – An avid biker's notion to install an historic truss bridge over Otter Creek for use as a recreation trail has finally come to fruition after more than a decade of delays.
Thomas Villars proposed the idea to town officials in 1998 of a pedestrian bridge over the creek in order to link a couple of village recreation areas.
"He wanted to make a safer route and incorporate it as a bike path and a walking path from the rec fields to the lake," Town Clerk Joyce Barbieri explained.
After 11 years of starts, stops and delays, the 117-foot-long truss bridge was installed Tuesday over Otter Creek.
"I think it'll be beautiful, it's in a great location. It fits in with the recreation field and leads into the proposed walking paths to be created by the Recreation Development Committee," Barbieri said.
Vernon-based Renaud Brothers, Inc. and Valley Crane Service had a crew of about 16 working nonstop most of the day preparing the site for the bridge to be installed.
State Agency of Transportation officials were on hand to oversee the operation, and one official said the "prep work" was the most challenging part of the day.
"We're just making sure everything is right before it all goes together. There's a lot of prep work involved," AOT's Eric Foster explained.
The bridge, which originated in Huntington, was disassembled and stored by AOT in Clarendon for a number of years. Recently, it was relocated to Renaud's yard in Vernon to be stripped of rust, primed and painted.
"They tried to save as much material as they could, but it was pretty rusted," Foster explained.
The entire project is expected to be completed by Nov. 27, with ramps and guard rails to be installed.
"I was beginning to think I'd never live to see it come through," Barbieri said.
The transportation agency offered the town the Huntington bridge in 1998 as part of the Adaptive Use Bridge Program. It was estimated at the time the structure would be installed the following year.
However, countless meetings, site visits, surveys, and studies delayed the project year after year. In 2003, Gov. James Douglas announced a moratorium on all enhancement projects, which threatened to pull the plug on the proposal.
Two years later, FEMA's remapping of the town created further delays. Funding has been an issue nearly every year since its inception, with the estimated final project cost of $1.2 million and a local share capped at $28,000.
Although Villars moved out of town before the bridge was installed, Barbieri credited another resident, William Lohsen, for spearheading the effort.
"He met with engineers, researched some road issues, attended countless meetings," the town clerk said. Others credited Barbieri for her tenacity in seeing the project to fruition.
"At one point, I sent a letter to the state saying we have a 4-inch-thick file on it, three engineer studies, two state planners and the town is still one bridge short," Barbieri said.
As of this week, the town can check the bridge off the project list.
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