GREENWICH, CT — The North Street Bridge in Greenwich needs to be replaced after it was found to be in critical condition over two years ago, but many residents are now asking the town to delay the project over concerns about the disruption to traffic flow, the construction timeline, and water drainage issues at the site and surrounding areas.
Located over West Brothers Brook, which is between Cotswood Road and Macpherson Drive, the bridge was originally built in 1909 and rebuilt in 1950. In March of 2022, the bridge was inspected and emergency repairs were made and a 4-ton weight limit was added.
Greenwich hired WMC Consulting Engineers to create a preliminary bridge design. The estimated project cost is $3 million, which will be 100 percent reimbursed by a Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program (LOTCIP) grant. The project is currently in the final design phase, according to the Greenwich Department of Public Works website.
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On Thursday during the Board of Selectmen meeting, residents Lee Gerkin and Zach Warren of the “North Street Bridge Coalition” gave a presentation about why the project should be delayed.
Gerkin said the construction would affect the entire town and not just the area where the bridge is located. Gerkin said they’ve gathered about 320 signatures from residents around town objecting to the project.
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“We believe that the North Street Bridge project should be delayed in order to provide more time to address the many outstanding concerns related to safety, schools, residents, traffic congestion, the construction timetable, water drainage, emergency services, the neighboring properties and businesses, and the economic issues here,” Warren added. “We think going forward with the plan as it stands today would be just a complete disaster for the community.”
Specifically, Warren said the town should conduct an independent traffic study on the bridge to evaluate and manage traffic flow during construction. He said DPW’s figure of 7,000 cars per day is too low, and more data is needed to understand how the construction would affect side streets and residential areas that could see an influx of cars seeking alternate routes.
Notably, Warren said the closure could result in drivers seeking alternate routes on nearby Hillside Drive where Greenwich Academy students frequently walk, which could pose safety problems.
Further on traffic, Warren said the closure of one lane during construction is “extremely problematic and it seems unlikely to work,” especially as it relates to emergency vehicle access. Warren noted the 4-ton weight restriction could be dangerous for large emergency vehicles.
The North Street Bridge is an integral part of the West Brothers Brook drainage area, which includes several nearby roads Warren says are “plagued with substandard infrastructure.”
“We need to ensure that any bridge design will accommodate future stormwater infrastructure improvements in the Brothers Brook Drainage area. We need to develop a plan to address those improvements,” Warren said.
Warren also asked for the town to seek a second opinion from other engineering firms on perhaps shortening the timeline for the project, which is currently estimated to be 18-24 months.
The DPW website lists an anticipated construction start date of spring 2025.
DPW Deputy Commissioner Jim Michel said Thursday the town is planning on holding a public meeting on the project on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.
“Some great points were raised there and I agree with a lot of it,” said First Selectman Fred Camillo on Thursday. Board of Estimate and Taxation officials were slated to discuss the release of funds for the project, but Camillo requested the item to be removed and reconsidered after the Oct. 7 public meeting.
Several residents spoke during the public comment portion of Thursday’s meeting and hit on several points from Gerkin’s and Warren’s presentation.
“I think there has been very poor planning on the drainage and stormwater issues in this town, and at this site particularly,” said Peter Quigley.
Hope Foley, a Millbrook resident, mentioned the Route 1 bridge project adjacent to Hillside Road.
“That at a minimum is going to reduce traffic to one lane in either direction by Greenwich High School for at least 14 months. If you guys try to do both of these bridges at the same time, this town is going to come to a standstill. That needs to be fully fleshed out and understood,” Foley said.
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Another resident, Dick Schulze, told the board they should delay the project for a year so an alternative consultant can work through issues.
Camillo mentioned the North Street Bridge project in his weekly newsletter to the community on Friday.
“I thought the presentation the residents made before the Board was extremely helpful and we will continue to look at this,” Camillo said. “We want to find a plan here that allows the needed work to be done but also does not overly inconvenience our residents and there will be more coming on this in the near future.”
More information on the project can be found here.
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