Preservationists Push For All-timber Replacement For Drawbridge
New State Design Puts Wood Veneer On Steel And Concrete Structure
by Tim Wood

CHATHAM — When something is the last of its kind, there is an obligation to do everything possible to save it.

That was the gist of the argument Norman Pacun, a founder of the Friends of the Mitchell River Wooden Drawbridge, put forth to try to convince Massachusetts Highway officials to replace the 29-year-old timber bridge with a new structure made entirely of wood. The bridge is the last wooden drawbridge in Massachusetts and one of only two in the country, information Pacun said the group verified through the Coast Guard.

Last Thursday at the community center, Mass Highway unveiled new plans for the $12 million replacement of the bridge, which the agency has classified as substandard because of deteriorating timbers pilings. While the underlying structure remains steel and concrete, the new design includes a timber veneer and granite facing that’s not far removed from the current appearance.

Nothing short of an all-wood bridge, however, will do, said Pacun. Despite protestations by state officials that a wooden bridge won’t meet federal and state guidelines --- which include a lifespan of at least 75 years --- the fact that the state built the existing structure in 1980 “it would not be technically infeasible for you to create such a new design for this site.”

Mass Highways officials said their hands are tied, at least if the project is to qualify for 80 percent federal funding. Shoukry Elnahal, director of the state accelerated bridge program, said federal officials have told him they will not support an all-timber structure.

“If we do decide that we will move forward with a timber structure, 80 percent of the funding will be withdrawn,” he said. There would not be enough money available in the accelerated bridge program to make up the deficit.

The bridge and its surroundings --- largely unchanged for 150 years --- constitute an important historical resource, and federal law protects such sites from “harm and misuse,” Pacun said. He added that the town’s historical commission voted to pursue hiring a consultant to determine if the bridge is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

Jeff Shrimpton of the cultural resources section of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation said a 1985 determination of the Massachusetts Historical Commission found that the bridge was not eligible for the National Historic Register, and there are no plans to seek a new determination.

“Fifty years is the typical threshold for eligibility for the National Register,” he said.

Chatham Historical Commission Chairman Donald Aikman said when the bridge was reconstructed in 1980, timbers from the previous bridge, built in about 1930, were used. “Parts of the bridge are over 50 years old,” he said, and the commission plans to find out if that makes it eligible for National Register listing. Dorr Fox of Preservation Massachusetts said the non-profit agency supports retaining a wooden bridge at the site.

The two alternatives presented by representatives of engineers URS --- the timber veneer design and a second similar plan which featured a timber sidewalk --- were seen by many of those in the audience as improvements over the previous steel and concrete design. However, some people said replacing the current timber deck of the 200-foot-long bridge with asphalt would promote speeding and be a safety hazard.

“That’s a raceway,” said Harbormaster Stuart Smith. “That’s going to really increase speed.” The current timber deck serves as a deterrent to speeding, said Mary Anne Grey. “You automatically brake when you hit that bridge. It’s better than a speed bump,” she said.

The 30 mile per hour design speed of the new bridge is too fast, especially since many families and children often fish along the sides of the bridge, said Carol Pacun of the Old Village Association, which represents Bridge Street neighbors.

“We really need for safety sake slow traffic across the bridge,” she said. “The wooden planks have done a marvelous job at that.”

Elnahal said an important consideration in the surface was being able to plow the bridge in the winter. Smith, however, said for years plows have lifted their blades when crossing the bridge, leaving an inch or so of snow on the surface, which is then heavily sanded. Timber decking is also a maintenance issue, Elnahal said, and if it can’t be used, other types of traffic calming measures will be investigated.

Elnahal said he will discuss the two options developed by URS, as well as an all-timber bridge, with his supervisors, Mass Highway’s chief engineer and representatives of the federal highway administration, and hopes to reach a conclusion by the middle of December.

The project is scheduled for construction in 2011.

11/26/09