BRATTLEBORO — The Windham Regional Commission (WRC) will host a public meeting on Thursday, Aug. 16, to solicit input on the aesthetics and design of a new bridge to replace the current Interstate 91 bridge over the West River and Route 30. The meeting will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Community Room at the Windham Regional Career Center at 80 Atwood St.
This meeting will take place in response to a request made by the WRC to the Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) that public comment about the character of the replacement bridge be solicited before AOT advertises a request for proposals (RFP) for a design/build contractor.
The AOT has agreed to let the commission lead a local process to develop aesthetic criteria used in the selection of the design/build contractor. The AOT will determine which of the recommended aesthetic criteria will be used in the RFP. The AOT letter outlining the process can be found on the WRC website at www.windhamregional.org.
“[They are] expecting us to have aesthetic criteria to the agency by Aug. 22. That presents a very tight timeline, but it's the timeline we have to work with,” said WRC executive director Chris Campany.
“This public meeting is open to anyone who has an interest in the aesthetic character of the replacement bridge. The bridge is a gateway to the West River Valley/Route 30 corridor. It's a bridge that is experienced not only by travelers crossing above the West River on I-91, but by those traveling along the West River on Route 30 as well.”
Campany added that this is the last chance for public input before firms begin the process of designing the bridge that will ultimately be built.
An Aesthetic Evaluation Committee that is to be formed by the commission will have the opportunity to present the aesthetic criteria to the firms participating in the RFP process, and to score the aesthetic character of the bridge designs produced by those firms.
For more information, contact WRC Senior Planner Matt Mann (mmann@sover.net) at 802-257-4547.