Vernon Officials Throwing Diplomacy Into The River Over Bridge Delays

VERNON, CT — It's December and the Dart Hill Road Bridge that spans the Hockanum River is still not open. When pressed for an explanation this week, town officials pointed to signs at both ends of the construction site.

"Bridge Construction Delayed by Eversource Energy," they said.

And the signs weren't small.

The new projected opening of the bridge — which is a complete replacement of the aging structure that was torn down last spring — is mid-December. Though it seems to be happening before the winter weather kicks in, town officials have been fuming for months over delays.

Patch had several conversations with both mayor Daniel Champagne and Town Administrator Michael Purcaro over the past several weeks and they had maintained an even keel each time. That changed on Thursday when, during another conversation, Purcaro threw that diplomacy over the side.

"On a directive from the mayor, we were very clear that we knew this project was an inconvenience and it needed to be completed in one season," Purcaro said. "Recent delays would have put the opening into January or February and maybe even March if mayor did not intervene."

The original hope was to have the bridge worked on all summer and open in time for the start of school. With eight bus routes using the bridge as well as thousands of residents, it was deemed a priority, Purcaro said. Delays pushed the opening to November and now it's even a month after that.

Part of the work entailed a new natural gas line from Eversource. Purcaro said a temporary pipe was run over the river though the woods and a was being replaced by a larger capacity permanent pipe at the bridge.

"Everything was to be done in sequence with no crew overlap with safety as the priority," said Purcaro, who is also the town's emergency management director.

That meant a gas line contractor from Eversource was coordinating work with the town's construction contractor, Connecticut-based New England Road Inc.

"When we set the revised November deadline, we did so with the expectation that the Eversource crew would be working extra hours — nights and weekends," Purcaro said. "The town project inspector and the mayor and residents all kept a close eye in this and we did not see the additional resources that Eversource needed to get it done."

An Eversource spokesman did say Thanksgiving period work was involved.

"Our crews worked over the holiday weekend and we have completed our portion of the project," he said.

Said Purcaro, "The only time we saw them provide those additional resources was after we demanded that it be done over the Thanksgiving weekend."

Purcaro then took a breath.

"Now our contractor can finish," he said.

The expected opening is now Dec 16.

Remaining work on the bridge includes pouring and curing the concrete approaches to the bridge, installing a
waterproof membrane over the concrete, paving the approaches and roadway over the bridge, and then road
painting and installation of signs.

"Like many Vernon residents, I am extremely frustrated by the utility company delays that have extended this
cumbersome detour beyond our projected completion date," Champagne said. "We planned this
project for one construction season because we knew the detour would be inconvenient. We do look forward
to the opening of a new and modern bridge that will serve our community for decades.”

Champagne said that, following discussions with town officials, Eversource offered to compensate the town for some delay-related costs.

That turned out to be $32,000, Purcaro said.

"The town's contractor has been outstanding," Purcaro said. "The company has worked with the town in efforts to streamline the work and it has been a good partner to the town. Unfortunately, the mayor had to draw a line in the sand and tell the Eversource contractor to 'get off my bridge.'"

A new sidewalk is also included in the project, Purcaro said.

A detour has been sending motorists from a good chunk of Vernon to Windsorville Road and the Five-Corners Rotary to get to the Skinner Road corridor and the other side of Dart Hill Road.