Local Concerns About Arrigoni Work Persist

Lane closures on the Arrigoni Bridge are expected to cause delays for an untold number of motorists in the region starting today. Most affected will be morning and late afternoon commuters. 

Locally, officials appear satisfied with the plans that have been worked out for police coverage and other safety concerns.

"We are very pleased to have our fire fighters and our police department working with the city of Middletown, with their fire department as well as their police department, to ensure the best public safety for people as this project progresses," Portland First Selectwoman Susan Bransfield said Monday.

Portland police officer David Bond said police would staff the bridge 24 hours a day for at least the first two weeks.

"At that point, state DOT is going to reevaluate things and see how we're doing and we'll adjust it from there," Bond said.

Portland Fire Chief Robert Shea, chairman of the sub-committee on safety matters, said they "are working closely" with the DOT and Middlesex Corp. He says this is a joint effort between all the agencies to "make sure it's safe and accommodating" to the traveling public as much as possible.

Back in May, Shea was concerned over the lack of answers he was getting.

“I’m doing everything I can to protect our community, but I’m just not getting the answers that I want from the state,” he said. “We just need coverage. I need an ambulance, I need medics, they all come from the other side of the river. So, we need to make sure we’re covered on this side.”

According to Shea, the plan for now is for paramedics from Middlesex Hospital to be working much of the time with Portland EMTs and both units will be based at Fire Station No. 2 on Main Street.

Hunters Ambulance is expected to be stationing a crew on the Portland side and two Life Star landing zones have been designated.

Bransfield said police will be able to give drivers proper directions if needed on how to proceed. She has also said if there is an emergency, the police will be able to stop traffic and get any necessary emergency vehicles across the span.

School buses also present a unique problem.

Portland School Superintendent Sally Doyen has urged the DOT to call local officials directly about special problems. Doyen had said at a meeting in May that a bus must go across the bridge each morning to get students to Vinal Technical High School. Doyen says "that bus has to make it back on time" because that's one of the buses for the school run within Portland. She says any delays generally "will impact schools" and their scheduled openings and class times.

It also is possible school bus routes within Portland might have to be adjusted to avoid areas where traffic might be backed up.

Shea expects the backup during rush hour to be as far as Prehistoric Gold on Route 66 or 18 to 25 minutes to get over the bridge once you hit the traffic.

“The impact is going to be big, but it has to get done.”

One other area in Portland where traffic will be altered is Silver Street, between Brownstone Avenue and Main Street. Silver Street will be restricted to one way traffic. Only traffic entering Silver Street from Main Street will have access and this will be enforced. The one-way condition will be in place for the duration of the project or when Portland feels it’s appropriate to remove the restriction.

As for pedestrian and bicycle traffic, access will be maintained on either side of the bridge dependent on what stage of construction the project is in.

In addition to smart signs stationed on either side of the bridge, the DOT has other ways it plans on keeping the public informed. It has a web site dedicated to the Arrigoni project that it plans on updating daily. Also available are electronic traffic alerts by email. Those interested can go to this DOT web site.

Meantime, officials have stressed they will do all they can to ensure the project goes smoothly.

State Sen. Eileen Daily, D-Westbrook, said there will probably be bi-weekly meetings with the state DOT.

"We want to be sure everything they say they are going to do is done," Daily said. "We want to be sure that every need that every person and every business demonstrates to us is taken care of."

The repairs or rehabilitation as the state Department of Transportation calls it, includes replacement of the concrete filled steel grid deck and sidewalks on the main spans. All work will be completed from the bridge and from a temporary work platform suspended below the bridge. Other work includes replacement of elastomeric bearings, pedestal repairs on the Portland side, new bituminous overlay on the main spans and new expansion joints. The cost is $17 million.

Middlesex Corporation of Littleton, Mass., has been contracted to do the work, which is expected to be completed by Nov. 14, 2012.

Delays encountered by motorists is just one problem repairs to the bridge will cause. During the lead-up to construction there were many questions and concerns. Others included safety, emergency vehicle access, school bus delays, impact on businesses and police coverage.

Many of these issues have been addressed. For others, such as the impact on business, it is too soon to tell.

One thing that you can expect is, that despite all the planning, there will be issues early on that were either not anticipated or the impact greater than first thought.

DOT engineer Patrick O'Mara said it's been the experience of the DOT that it takes several weeks for a project to have commuting problems ironed out.