Hearings for Brattleboro/Hinsdale bridge
BRATTLEBORO — BRATTLEBORO- Although the Selectboard has taken no action on the plans to replace the bridge linking the town to Hinsdale, N.H. - because there is no action to take right now - a series of public hearings on the project were held last week.
On Sept. 13, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation and Vermont Agency of Transportation held a public informational meeting at the Hinsdale Town Hall on project #12210C to construct a new bridge over the Connecticut River between Hinsdale and Brattleboro.
On Sept. 14, the same officials gave the same presentation at the Municipal Center in Brattleboro.
At both meetings, state officials answered any questions about the project before the presentation began. For those who couldn't make the hearings, they may contact Don Lyford, the NHDOT Project Manager at Donald.Lyford@dot.nh.gov for more information.
A complete report on the Brattleboro hearing will be in the Sept. 27 edition of The Commons.
Western Avenue water main
BRATTLEBORO- The Selectboard has unanimously voted to award a construction contract to Haluch Water Contracting, Inc., of Ludlow, Mass., to repair the broken water main running beneath Western Avenue.
In July, the Board approved a $32,000 engineering contract with the Dufresne Group to oversee the bidding and construction phases of the project. Dufresne officials reviewed the bids the town received for the project, and checked each firm's references.
Haluch Water Contracting submitted the lowest bid of $320,210.10, and “they come recommended,” Department of Public Works Director Steve Barrett told members of the Selectboard at their Sept. 5 meeting.
The company worked on the project that connected the village of Algiers to Brattleboro's municipal water system, Barrett noted.
Even with the engineering contract and the $20,000 contingency, Haluch's fees still keep the project over $86,000 under budget, Barrett said. “I'm pretty happy we're under the engineer's estimate,” he added.
Barrett told Selectboard members the project may require a lane-closure on I-91, and it may also affect traffic on Western Avenue.
The public can expect construction to begin some time before winter, Barrett said.
“It has to be done this year. This is a main transmission line that feeds the town,” Barrett said, pointing out “there are only two” lines, and the Western Avenue one is the larger one. “It's important that we get it repaired and back in service,” he said.