Bridge substructure removal appears imminent

A two-lane, one-span truss bridge. Right, Maine State Sen. Ron Collins listens as Milton Selectman Bob Bridges, left, at table, talks about the bridge project last night at a workshop held at the Emma Ramsey Center in Milton. (Harrison Thorp photo)

MILTON - A workshop to discuss possible options for a replacement to the New Bridge Road bridge considered a variety of spans at a Milton meeting last night, but seemed to most favor a two-lane truss bridge as the most favorable choice.

 On a separate front, Milton officials are moving forward with plans to remove the entire bridge substructure, including the pilings down to the lake bottom and have begun receiving estimates to do the work, which is expected to cost about $10,000.

The workshop was held at the Emma Ramsey Center and included officials from both towns as well as Maine State Senator Ron Collins, R-Wells, a longtime member of the state Transportation Committee in Augusta.

Milton Selectmen Chairman Tom Gray noted he had received an estimate from an underwater dive team that to cut the pilings off would take a three-man crew two eight-hour days and would run about $5,000. Cranes would have to be used to hold the pilings as they were cut to ensure they would not settle into the bottom. 

Milton Selectman Bob Bridges said he would look into contracting one of several local tree removal companies to see if they could do the job.

Chip Getchell of the Maine Department of Transportation said the state would likely pitch in half of the cost of the substructure removal, which could happen quickly if contractors can be lined up.

Speed is of the essence as teens continue to scramble up the decking and play “chicken” with boats passing through the narrow channel between Milton and Northeast ponds.

Gray brought schematic drawings of several bridge options supplied by Holden Transportation Engineering of Bedford, N.H.

Among all the options the one most liked is a two-lane, single span truss bridge, which would require less road buildup on both sides of the bridge.

In some of the bridges offered for review, the road buildup on the Lebanon side actually went above the Everetts Cove boat launch landing, which concerned many.

The truss bridge image supplied by Holden had a pedestrian sidewalk, which officials seem to favor.

The cost of that bridge would be about $1.4 million, said Getchell, who will now return to Augusta to see if Maine would oversee the engineering and possible construction of a new span.

Nancy Mayville of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation said it is vital for Milton to make some kind of payment to the state to get on a list of New Hampshire bridge replacement projects, a list that now is filled until 2019.

The funding of the bridge replacement project is complicated. Maine pays for half, while New Hampshire’s funding is split between the state and Milton, with the town paying 20 percent of the other half and New Hampshire paying 80 percent.

Mayville said if Milton comes up with at least 20 percent of the engineering costs, about $15,000, that would be enough to at least get the bridge on the waiting list. The total design cost is estimated to be around $150,000. Maine would pay $75,000, and New Hampshire would pay the other $60,000.

Gray has vowed to put an appropriation question on next year’s ballot referendum, though selectmen have not decided how much they would ask of voters next year.

If Milton voters approve a new bridge, at today’s cost it would cost them roughly $140,000 in total.

Officials reasoned that the longer they wait, the more it will cost. Getchell said the construction prices are still relatively low because bridge construction jobs are scarce, but that could change if the economy and funding sources improve. That would mean down the road costs could be considerably higher.

Milton has about $35,000 dollars in their bridge maintenance account now, but selectmen don’t necessarily want to spend all that money on one bridge and be left vulnerable if another town bridge needs work.

Still, Mayville suggested Milton get on board with some design money as soon as possible so that if bridge money does loosen, the project is shovel ready. She said other projects might be abandoned by other towns, which might move Milton up to even earlier than 2019. She reminded meetingoers that we’re already in fiscal year 2014, so it’s only five years.

At the end of the day for now, however, both states are on tight fiscal reins, and there are no guarantees.

“Funding is tough,” Collins said. “We don’t know when it will be available.”