DOT Addresses Arrigoni Construction Concerns

It was the first formal meeting about the Arrigoni Bridge project to be held in Portland and engineers from the Connecticut Department of Transportation fielded sharp questions from business officials and citizens. The focus was on anticipated traffic jams and safety issues during the 14-month project.

Dave Cutler, a supervising liaison engineer, said they are focusing on outreach using mobile signage and the internet to inform motorists each morning about the expected length of delays. The idea is to allow drivers to make decisions to take an alternate route if necessary. It's dubbed a Smart Zone and Cutler says it may be the first effort of its kind for a state project. It would use mobile display signs, as well as alerts by email and Twitter. 

Cutler also said a company from Massachusetts, the Middlesex Corp., is the apparent low bidder on the project. He said the bid will be reviewed during the next several weeks before a final decision is made. The bid was just under $17 million. 

Transporation officials also said there will be police posted on both sides of the Arrigoni during most of the day, but couldn't say what the hours will be.

An ambulance also will be stationed on the Portland side. He said wreakers or tow trucks will also be on standby at both ends of the span.

Officials still expressed concern.

During the first phase, Cutler said, the bridge would have two 12-foot-wide lanes directly opposing each other. There was immediate reaction from those present. One man said, "That means for tractor trailers, it will be mirror-to-mirror," and Cutler acknowledged "it will be close." He also noted there would be no barrier separating the lanes.

Cutler went on to say it could be difficult and slow at times. He said there could only be two lanes because of semipermanent barriers that will be set up to protect construction workers.

When Cutler said oversized trucks were already barred from the bridge, it brought a few laughs, but he quickly noted that with police on both sides of the span, there would be more supervision, and felt that very oversized vehicles could be stopped before they got on the bridge.

Portland School Superintendent Sally Doyen and an official of the Nichols Bus Co. were both vocal about tie-ups causing delays for school buses.

The Nichols official recounted past delays during construction and when accidents occurred on the span. She said children were more than an hour late some days because congestion spread to side roads as well as Route 66 and Main Street. 

When DOT engineer Patrick O'Mara was asked where the first mobile traffic sign would be set up on Route 66 for commuters, he said it would be between the Nichols Bus depot and the Dairy Queen.

A man said, "That wouldn't give East Hampton drivers time enough to make a decision." O'Mara answered that the signs could be easily moved and adjusted quickly. He said it's been the experience of the DOT that it takes several weeks for a project to have commuting problems ironed out. He expressed confidence that the combination  of electronic signs, additional DOT cameras and alerts by email and Twitter will help alleviate the worst tie-ups.

Others on hand asked officials about alternate routes to the west side of the river being compromised with construction projects. One man mentioned the long-running project on the Putnam Bridge and Route 3 in Glastonbury, and another just before Route 2, also in Glastonbury. He also mentioned work scheduled for the swing bridge in East Haddam.

Cutler responded that work would be expedited for completion hopefully before the start of construction on the Arrigoni.

The construction on the Arrigoni is scheduled to begin about Aug. 1, with a projected completion in mid-October 2012. 

The Wednesday morning meeting was sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce of  East Hampton and Portland. It was held in the meeting room of the Riverdale Motel on Cobalt Road.