PHILLIPSTON — Saying they prefer not to dedicate the bulk of the town’s Chapter 90 funds to replace the Queen Lake Road bridge, selectmen concurred with highway superintendent Rick Tenney in favoring the three-phase, $578,000 option for rehabilitation, instead of replacement.
The bridge on Route 101 has been restricted to one-lane travel controlled by flashing stop signs since 2015.
“It’s an important road,” Tenney said. “It’s a main route for the people living in Petersham and Templeton and for police, fire, ambulance and school buses.”
Its deterioration was accelerated, he believes, by holes drilled many years ago to address a water surface problem during rain storms.
“The state drilled holes to drain the water,” Tenney said — roughly five to seven holes, 2-inch in diameter, were drilled straight down — “but, the water and salt splashes on the girder beams and put it’s deterioration on fast-forward.”
Discussions on repair of the bridge have been ongoing for the last three years, with funding being the sticking point. State Sen. Anne Gobi’s office granted $100,000 toward the project, which was recently accepted by the town.
Tenney said, “I’m trying to do everything not to use Chapter 90 funds — you still have to maintain the roads.”
The town receives $185,000 per year in Chapter 90.
“If we spent that on the bridge three years in a row, it would put our other roads behind,” he said, noting he uses a formula to calculate what can be used toward maintenance of certain roads each year and how much to spend on the infrastructure. To use those funds on the bridge would throw the hundreds of miles of town roads into flux.
At the selectmen’s meeting this week, Tenney reviewed three options prepared by Tighe & Bond engineers:
Rehabilitation of the existing bridge over three phases at a cost of $578,000 for a service life of 20 to 25 years with a projected cost of $23,000 per year. The costs can be spread over multiple fiscal years, and construction can be phased. However, the abutments have minimal service life.
Replace the entire bridge with timber at a cost of $639,600 for a service life of 40 to 45 years. This would cost $15,000 per year, and while it may be a cost-effective option to replace the bridge, it would require closure of the road, and replacement of the wood decking would be required every 7 to 10 years.
Replace the entire bridge with concrete at a cost of $898,500 for a service life of at least 75 years. The cost would be $12,000 per year. The bridge would be extremely durable and require minimal maintenance. The road would be closed during construction.
The town could break down the work in three phases and fund a phase at a time, while pursuing other funding options.
“Phase 1 would get the bridge open,” said Tenney, and at $153,000 would focus on the Beam 8 replacement on one side, which would require demolition and replacement of existing bearings, beam, concrete deck and rail.
Phase 2 would cost $176,000 and involve identical repairs to the opposite side, while Phase 3 at $160,000 would include overdue maintenance and protection, stripping and painting, pavement removal and concrete repairs.
Tenney said, “I would like to see a full replacement, but the funding is the big thing. The federal government considers it a major rural bridge. It doesn’t fall under the small bridge replacement category like a lot of other bridges around here.”
The category considers traffic, population and its relation to other roads and arteries. Tenney said if it was a minor rural bridge, it would be eligible for other funding. He said he has and is exploring a variety of options for funding for the repair, which includes the possibility of reclassifying the road to see if it will open up other avenues for funding.
“It’s worth a shot,” he said. “It’s borderline major-minor.”
He said he will contact the Montachusett Regional Planning office, Massachusetts DOT District 2 for assistance.
“I’m trying to open every door to look for help,” Tenney said.