State Schedules Public Hearing On
Mitchell River Bridge Replacement

by Tim Wood

            CHATHAM --- The state is apparently not pursuing plans to replace the Mitchell River Drawbridge with another all-wooden bridge.  The Massachusetts Highway Department has scheduled a hearing based on plans revealed last November, which call for new structure of concrete and steel with a timber and stone façade.

            The public hearing slated for next Thursday, March 18, at 7 p.m. at the community center may be the last opportunity the public has to comment on the design for the $12 million bridge replacement.  Although plans to be discussed at the session, which are available for viewing at the department of public works on Crowell Road and the community development department at 595 Main St., appear to indicate the project is at the 25 percent design stage, Highway Director Jeff Colby said state officials told him under the Accelerated Bridge Program, there would not be another hearing when the project reaches the 75 percent design state, as is common with other highway projects.

            “I was told by the state this is the only design hearing,” Colby said.  “So we want to make sure people are aware of it.”

            Norman Pacun, a co-founder of the Friends of the Mitchell River Wooden Drawbridge, said the group was promised a response to its comments by a state official at the November design meeting sponsored by the town, but did not receive any.

            “We assumed there would be some response prior to the next formal 25 percent hearing,” he said.

            The group will continue to oppose replacement of the wooden drawbridge, the last of its kind in the state and probably the country, they say, with a concrete and steel structure.  The group has pushed to have the current bridge declared eligible for listing on the National Historic Register because it may be the last of its kind in the country, and because it is a unique historical resource for the neighborhood and town.

            Their request for a declaration of eligibility from the Massachusetts Historical Commission was denied because of the structure’s age --- it was last rebuilt in 1980 --- but the Friends continue to pursue designation under Criteria G., which recognizes structures that are the last of their kind.  Pacun said the commission has asked for more documentation to prove that the Mitchell River Bridge is the last wooden drawbridge in the country.  That despite a letter from the Coast Guard, which has jurisdiction over such structures, stating that they know of no other wooden drawbridges.

            Pacun said he believes there is a “coordinated effort between the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and Mass. Historical to turn this down. That troubles me greatly.”  The Friends plan to respond to the commission nonetheless.

            “I simply don’t understand why a wooden drawbridge cannot be repaired or reconstructed here, as it was in 1980,” he said.

            Construction material is not the only issue, Pacun added.  The plans call for widening the bridge, which is a popular fishing spot for children and families, from 24 to 30 feet, and replacing the current wooden decking with macadam.  A dip in the bridge approach is also slated to be evened out. Combined, the changes will create a “raceway,” Pacun and others have argued.

            “I don’t think that should be acceptable to anyone in town,” Pacun said.

            Colby said he put those concerns in a letter to Mass Highways, detailing the residential nature of the neighborhood and the heavy pedestrian use of the bridge.  He said using wooden decking would slow down traffic, as would retaining the dip in the bridge approach, which acts “almost like a very large speed bump.”

            “As soon as you go wider and flatter, people are going to be able to go faster,” he said.

            State engineers had requested the letter indicating that the town favored bridge elements that would minimize speed, he said.

            “We’ll see what they can come up with in that regard,” Colby said.

            The design shows the bridge sheathed in wooden cladding, which will duplicate as much as possible the current appearance.  The walkways will be widened from three feet to five feet nine inches, and will be constructed of wood.  There will be a single 33-foot-long bascule draw span, as there is now, but it would rise higher than the current span, which does not meet its design criteria --- one of the major problems with the existing structure.  Steel will be used in concrete pilings, rather than the current wooden pilings, which are deteriorating, one of the reasons the bridge has been declared substandard.  The project will provide a number of safety measures that are not in place now in order to meet federal highway standards, such as a safety rail along the curb, and will meet all Americans With Disability Act requirements.

            Plans can now be viewed at the DPW and the community development department, and will be on display a half hour before the March 15 meeting.  According to the legal notice for the meeting, a handout will be made available on the DOT website, www.mass.gov/massdot.

            The state is also accepting written statements on the project, which must be postmarked with 10 days of the hearing for inclusion in the public hearing transcript.  Comments should be sent to Frank A. Tramontozzi, P.E. Chief Engineer, Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Ten Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116, ATTN: Managing Unit, Accelerated Bridge Program Project File No. 603690; inquiries can be e-mailed to dot.feedback.highway@state.ma.us.

            The project is scheduled to be constructed in 2012.

3/11/10