City to review Walk Bridge traffic study
NORWALK — The state Department of Transportation’s replacement of the Walk Bridge over the Norwalk River stands to shift and disrupt traffic on numerous local roads.
To get a better handle on the impacts and develop mitigation measures, the DOT’s program management consultant for the roughly $1 billion bridgereplacement project has analyzed more than 50 intersections, from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in South Norwalk to Triangle Street in East Norwalk.
“The study analyzes the existing, during construction and final condition traffic operations in the area,” said DOT spokesman Judd Everhart. “This includes not only the Walk Bridge Replacement, but also the traffic impacts associated with the construction at Fort Point Street, Osbourne Avenue and East Avenue.”
In addition to replacing the Walk Bridge, the DOT will replace the Fort Point Street and East Avenue rail bridges and the superstructure of the rail bridge over Osbourne Avenue.
“The study reviews the street closures for the construction of these bridges, while also taking into account other projects in the area,” Everhart said when asked about the study. “The study reviews possible detour routes, construction haul routes, accident patterns, transit routes, and pedestrian and bike considerations, among other aspects. We are eager for input from the city, and we expect to have a final document within the next 60 days.”
Citing the draft nature of the study, the DOT and Norwalk Department of Public Works declined to release to Hearst Connecticut Media a copy of the report prepared by WSP, the DOT’s program management consultant for the bridge replacement.
But the DOT did release a map of the traffic study area, along with a full list of the intersections analyzed by WSP.
Among other intersections, WSP analyzed traffic operations at Washington Street and Water Street, Fort Point Street at Seaview Avenue, Van Zant Street at East Avenue, East Avenue at Winfield Street, and Winfield Street at Strawberry Hill Avenue.
Strawberry Hill Avenue at Beacon Street, East Avenue at Interstate 95 Exit 16, West Avenue at Exit 15 and Van Zant Street at Fire Station No. 3 were among other areas analyzed.
“It’s intersections that are affected by the bridge project and what problems and projected traffic” might be, said Michael Yeosock, assistant principal engineer in the Norwalk Department of Public Works. “That’s why we need a consultant to help us look at it.”
Last Tuesday evening, the Common Council’s Public Works Committee recommended hiring transportation consultant Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. for a cost not to exceed $25,000, to help the public works engineers review the WSP study. The full council will take up the recommendation Tuesday evening.
If hired, VHB would confirm the validity of the study area along with raw traffic data, review traffic diversion assumptions and impacts on all users of the intersections, and determine whether the study was conducted in accordance with Office of State Traffic Administration, Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and “acceptable engineering principles.”
“VHB will provide the above noted services on an hourly basis in accordance with the attached hourly rate schedule, with an upset limit of $25,000,” wrote Joseph C. Balskus, director of transportation systems for VHB, in a letter included in council members’ packets for Tuesday. “VHB will advise the City with monthly progress reports on the status of the budget and upon reaching 85 percent of the limit, will request it be increased in advance of exceeding the upset limit if requested by the City.”
The DOT plans to replace the Walk Bridge, a 122-year-old swing-span structure, with a 240-foot vertical-lift bridge.
The department says the design has the shortest construction duration, minimizes impacts to rail users and maritime traffic, and doesn’t limit the future use and development of the properties upstream of the bridge. The department plans to begin the replacement in fall 2019 and take four to five years to complete the project.