TOWNSHEND — Pedestrians likely will return to historic Scott Covered Bridge as soon as early 2016.
That's according to Agency of Transportation Project Manager Doug Bonneau, who told residents at an information meeting at the town offices Monday that the bridge project has the state's full attention and is in line for the agency's 2016 construction season.
That's welcome news to many here who have wondered why the project appeared to languish in Montpelier.
Moving forward, a full rehabilitation of the 144-year-old West River span (at 277 feet it's Vermont's longest state-contained covered bridge) will cost upward of $2 million and preserve it for decades to come.
The tab will be paid with federal and state funds, and bids will go out next year, if all goes as expected, Bonneau said.
Scott Covered Bridge is owned by the Division of Historic Preservation and maintained by AOT, which closed it to pedestrian traffic in February 2012 following a routine two-year inspection that turned up dangerous rot, buckling, and other grave structural concerns.
The bulk of the presentation - residents' first glimpse at the plans and timetable - was led by project engineer Sean T. James of Hoyle, Tanner & Associates. James told an audience, which numbered around a dozen in the hot auditorium, that the bridge needs a new deck, new siding, and a new roof, and would be built strong enough to support its own weight and the heft of snow.
Vehicles will not return to Scott Covered Bridge, he said, nor would it support the jouncy weight of special events such as weddings.
He said the span would be treated against fungi and fire, would see a new guardrail go up, and that wherever possible the original wood would be retained - by sistering salvageable pieces with new timber, or by other means.
The next step is for the agency to refine the design, lock in legislative approval in 2015 to fund the work, and advertise the job. “This is decent winter work,” he said, and suggested crews could start next fall into the winter of 2015-16.
Resident Robert DeSiervo asked, “Why is it taking so long to do this work?”
The answer, said Bonneau, is that “this bridge and a half dozen like it” are owned by the Division of Historic Preservation, and it and the AOT have disagreed about responsibility for their repair. Both agencies finally reached a compromise, and the upshot is that Scott Covered Bridge had to compete for attention with all the state's other bridges.
“It came down to a balancing act. Obviously not letting it fall into the river is a priority, as is getting it re-opened to pedestrian traffic,” Bonneau said.
DeSiervo, a member of the Planning Commission but speaking for himself, pressed the matter as an issue of import to the local tourist trade.
Bonneau agreed with him: “It is an important structure historically, and a lot of tourists like to come visit our covered bridges.” Bonneau restated that the project was expected to go out to bid in fall of 2015, but provided a caveat:
“If the economy turns south between now and then, the Legistlature looks for money. They say, 'What's the highest priorities?'”
Another resident put in: “I, for one, am just grateful you're going to do it.”