New Sound Beach Bridge finds support
Plan for replacing old structure moves forward in Old Greenwich
GREENWICH — More than two years ago, a plan to replace a bridge on Sound Beach Avenue brought out angry residents in force.
But a revised plan now looks poised to move forward, with residents offering support at a public hearing held Thursday via Zoom by the Department of Public Works.
Candice Garthwaite, of Greenwich, said the new bridge would fit in with “the look of Binney Park.”
The heavily used bridge on Sound Beach Avenue goes over Cider Mill Brook, near Binney Park and the Perrot Memorial Library and is a gateway to Old Greenwich. It was built in 1925 and rehabilitated in 1977, but is in poor condition.
The project has already received approvals from the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency and the federal Army Corps of Engineers. If the plan receives final approval, Deputy DPW Commissioner James Michel said construction could begin next summer.
Overall, the work is estimated to take 12 months. A section of Sound Beach Avenue would be closed for three months, with daytime closures
at other times, he said. The project would use “accelerated bridge construction” techniques, Michel said.
Gabriella Circosta Cohee, a senior civil engineer with the town and the project manager, said the bridge carries an average of 14,500 vehicles per day. That ranks that part of Sound Beach Avenue in the top eight of the busiest sections of road in Greenwich, she said.
The bridge superstructure is in poor condition, and the substructure and channel are showing signs of erosion, Cohee said.
“The aesthetic and historic appeal of the bridge will be maintained,” she said.
Putting forth two plans
The bridge replacement plan put forward in 2018 included several flood mitigation steps, which would have ensured emergency vehicles could travel through the area in order to get to Old Greenwich. The low-lying village is prone to flooding, which caused major problems during
Superstorm Sandy and other big storms.
That plan called for raising portions of the roadway of Sound Beach Avenue and increasing the size of the traffic circle by the library.
But those ideas drew opposition from residents, who raised concerns about additional traffic and about the aesthetics of the project — especially near the park and the library.
The opposition from the residents stopped the project with the Planning and Zoning Commission. But the bridge still needed to be replaced.
Under the revised plan discussed at the hearing, only the bridge would be replaced. A portion of Sound Beach Avenue would be elevated, but only to meet the height of the new bridge.
Cohee noted that flooding is still a concern with the brook, which is in a Federal Emergency Management Agency flood zone. Because of that, the new bridge would be at a higher elevation than the current one.
Residents weigh in
DPW Commissioner Amy Siebert has three business days to issue a decision, which will be posted on the town’s website.
The hearing was required because residents of Old Greenwich secured a scenic road designation for the roadway that goes around Binney Park. The designation was sought, in part, because they had been such vocal opponents of the original bridge replacement plan.
Under the scenic road designation, project receive an extra level of scrutiny.
On Thursday, residents spoke in favor of the plan. Candice Garthwaite, who had been a driving force for the scenic road designation, said she appreciated DPW’s work on the revised plan and said she liked how it fit the scenic road designation.
Town resident Will Morrison added, “I think we have come out with a much better result overall.”
Cohee outlined the project for participants, explaining that the curbs and side
walks would be replaced along with the bridge.
The town would also work with the Friends of Binney Park to add plants and create a buffer. No trees would be removed, and seven would be added along with 54 shrubs and 120 plants along the brook.
The old two-span bridge would be removed, replaced with a single-span bridge. The sediment-deposited island would be removed, Cohee said, because of blockage from the western side of the bridge. She said this would create “more natural stream flow.”
The Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved the revised plan in November. The IWWA also gave its approval, but placed some conditions on the project. Under the conditions, the town must protect the wetlands soil in the staging area for the construction work and coordinate with agency staff before, during and after construction.