Six small bridges in Plymouth, Vt., are set to be replaced over two years starting next summer due to damage from a 2023 flood. VTrans plans to construct new, hydraulically efficient bridges while minimizing traffic disruptions and environmental impacts.
Photo courtesy of VTrans
Bridge 116 was demolished by the July 2023 rain event. A temporary bridge was installed on-alignment and will remain in service until BR116 is replaced.
At the Nov. 18 meeting of the Plymouth, Vt., Selectboard, its members heard from the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) regarding plans to build a half-dozen local bridges that will sequentially be replaced, starting in the summer of 2025, and continuing through the summer of 2027.
The Vermont Journal, a weekly news source for several small towns in the central part of the state, reported that as a result of the area's July 2023 flooding, the six bridges had major damage, have since received temporary emergency repairs, but are now in need of permanent replacements.
Bridges 4, 7 and 9, all located over Pinney Hollow Brook on Vermont Highway 100A in Plymouth, along with Bridge 108 over Money Brook, Bridge 112 over Tinker Brook and Bridge 116 over Reservoir Brook along Vt. 100, are all slated to be rebuilt with hydraulically adequate replacements designed to minimize impacts to traffic in the event of future storm events.
Rob Young, VTrans' accelerated bridge program manager, explained that Bridges 4, 7 and 9 will each have their spans lengthened, and Pinney Hollow Brook will be "reestablished to its natural state" in each location. Bridge 9 will be the first project, he said, with construction set to take place next summer, and Bridges 4 and 7 will be reconstructed sequentially in mid-2027.
The transportation agency's Gary Laroche, who serves as a VTrans structures project manager, described Bridge 108 along Vt. 100 as having an "enormous sediment source" upstream of the bridge which then comes downstream during a storm, clogs the bridge and runs along the roadway.
To alleviate the problem, Laroche said crews will install two additional 12-ft.-wide box culverts on either side to relieve the sediment flow, and also allow equipment to get into that area to clean up materials and debris after a storm. The replacement of that bridge also will begin sequentially in 2027.
The plans for Bridge 112 over Tinker Brook will involve a 20-ft. box culvert replacement in the summer of 2026. Additionally, as Bridge 116 across Reservoir Brook collects substantial amounts of sediment, it will be replaced with a 60-ft.-long structure, and the stream will be realigned. That work is scheduled to begin sequentially in 2026, as well.
VTrans Aims to Lessen Traffic Impacts as Much as Possible
Tom Knight, principal transportation representative of VTrans, explained to the Plymouth Selectboard that traffic detours may be more difficult for folks who live and work on Vt. 100 or Vt. 100A during the various replacement efforts, as drivers will have to loop around each work zone.
Other project sites, he said, will impact anyone traveling from Ludlow north to Killington as they will need to detour via Vt. 103 to travel north into Rutland, and onto U.S. Highway 4 northeast into Killington.
In addition, Knight added:
- Bridge 9 on Vt. 100A, being the first project on the agenda next summer, will see a 45-day closure. He said the construction will begin in April, with the actual road closure to coincide with the local schools' summer break.
- Bridge 116 will be closed for 45 to 60 days, and Bridge 112 will see a short one- to two-week shutdown, both in the summer of 2026.
- Bridges 4 and 7 will each be shuttered for approximately 28 days in the summer of 2027. Bridge 108, with the largest detour on the map, will have a one- to two-week duration during that same time.
Knight expressed sympathy for the disruption the projects will cause to local residents and businesses, stating, "Twenty-eight days to build a new bridge is pretty aggressive."
Alternatives to replace one-lane bridges or utilize temporary bridge options are more expensive, he noted, and the construction timeframe is much longer. With each bridge project, VTrans said it is trying to be proactive to complete the work as quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.
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