You missed the fun! Woodstock Early Bird was impressed with the standing room only crowd of about 50 people who turned out this evening at the Town Hall for a public hearing with Vermont Agency of Transportation officials concerning a planned bridge construction closure on Route 106.
The crowd gave a unanimous NO vote to State plans to fix a Route 106 bridge by closing it completely. Unfortunately, their vote was more a simple “sense of the crowd” for the State transportation planners who are trying to fix the bridge deck in a quicker “Step 14” process than if the bridge were to get in line for standard State construction road projects. Under the “Step 14” funding procedures the State could repair the bridge in approximately a month by closing the road off completely. Estimates are that it might take twice as long, or two months, if the State could facilitate a one-lane system while the deck is being repaired. There are engineering issues about width and the structural integrity of abuttments to carry that width and load.
State officials at the meeting, who seemed unable to answer any question directly and who seemed to be at the meeting mainly to put on a show of taking public testimony, say they might still decide to do a full closure — despite the sense of the citizenry — if they can’t safely establish a wide enough single lane for the bridge which is narrow to begin with.
The Woodstock Selectboard, which does not have any decision-making power in this State of Vermont process, did ask Town Manager Phil Swanson to write a letter to the State expressing the consensus of South Woodstock and Route 106 residents that they will not be able to tolerate the impacts to safety, business, mail, milk and beer runs and education (with limitation of school bus routes) should the road be closed completely.
State officials seemed to believe that their proposed detours along “state roads only” would keep people off unpaved, gullied Town dirt roads, to which many in the audience laughed or shook their heads. Town Manager Phil Swanson did acknowledge that Church Hill would probably have to re-graded a few times as part of the Rt. 106 project.
It’s possible the work could be scheduled for spring but apparently it’s dependent on whether it is “fast-tracked” or slow-boated.
Residents suggested “mud season” as the best time and representatives of Green Mountain Horse Association offered to give State planners their scheduled events so as to reduce the impact on horse people, their travel with large trailers and the potential negative impact on South Woodstock’s economy which includes the South Woodstock General Store and the Kedron Valley Inn.
Agency of Transportation officials says they will get back to the Town of Woodstock as soon as possible with their decision.
More details to come….
Julia Carlisle
Woodstock Early Bird 