Scotland Road bridge severely deteriorated

Structure over I-395 in Norwich fast-tracked to be replaced in 2019

Norwich — When a construction crew last year pulled off the pavement from the Scotland Road bridge over Interstate 395 to repair deteriorated portions of the structure and beams, they discovered a patch job would not work.

The 1958 bridge was found in much worse condition than anticipated, prompting the state Department of Transportation to speed up a $5.4 million bridge replacement project by a year, with work now scheduled to begin next April and the bridge to be closed much of the summer of 2019.

In the meantime, the repair crew repaved the 189-foot-long structure and started working on plans to replace the bridge. Because the center structure is the most deteriorated, the crew painted a yellow hatch-marked section along the center to veer traffic to narrowed 12-foot-wide travel lanes along the edges of the bridge. The weight limit was reduced to 2.7 tons.

An estimated 2,000 vehicles cross the bridge each day, 3 percent of them trucks.

DOT Project Manager Bryan Reed said bridge safety inspectors determined one span of the existing bridge is 90 percent deteriorated and the second span about 80 percent deteriorated. The replacement project was slated originally for 2020, but project engineers are hoping to speed up the planning process to start next April.

DOT officials presented an overview of the project at a public information meeting in Norwich this past week at City Hall.

If the schedule holds, the road closure will begin in late June, timed with the end of the 2018-19 school year, Reed said. The bridge will be closed for eight weeks — 56 consecutive days, including weekends — to install the new structure.

Alternating one-lane traffic could occur prior to and following the full closure, as well, Reed said.

Like all school superintendents in the region, Reed will be keeping close track of the number of weather-related school cancellation days this winter and will be meeting with Norwich school officials and First Student bus company to be ready to close the bridge completely.

“We’re trying to anticipate how many days will be added to the end of the school year,” Reed said.

DOT officials met with Norwich Public Works Director Ryan Thompson, police, fire and ambulance officials, and none had any objections to the proposed closure, Thompson said during the public meeting.

Scotland Road will be closed just north of the last residential driveway before the bridge to Meadowbrook Road. Work crews will use part of the closed area to store equipment and supplies.

DOT will erect signs for a detour route directing drivers