Letter: DOT and town must consider new Silver Creek plan

Posted 10/3/19

There is a report of a new plan for the Silver Creek bridge being considered by DOT that would properly address sea level rise and provide for a realistic work schedule. One contractor is said to …

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Letter: DOT and town must consider new Silver Creek plan

Posted

There is a report of a new plan for the Silver Creek bridge being considered by DOT that would properly address sea level rise and provide for a realistic work schedule. One contractor is said to have stated that there was no way it could be built in the time allotted in the present schedule.

DOT certainly would strive to avoid the very long delays that occurred in finishing the Barrington-Warren bridge and the footbridge in Providence that had a $21 million cost overrun for the $2 million project. Such delays would be devastating for Bristol’s businesses.

The present roadway at the crossing of Silver Creek is near sea level and is inadequate for handling the present moderate flood heights, let alone accommodating sea level rise. The drainage pipe beneath the road at the north side of Sip ’n Dip required baffles to keep the highest tides from backing up and blocking it.

The present hundred-year-old bridge elevation was chosen for the sea level then, and a rebuilt one needs to consider the continuing rise over the next hundred years. This is a difference of about two feet. Providing a sufficient elevation for the bridge is an important safety issue in preventing the area between Silver Creek and Gooding Avenue from being cut off in the advent of flooding and school access.

DOT had maintained that any change to their plans would be too costly, but the several suggestions to changes to keep Hope Street open during construction have not been adequately investigated to know their increased costs, if any. Nor has the cost to the downtown businesses been considered or the savings from dropping the unnecessary archeologic work component on this non-historic bridge.

If constructed improperly, the project would have to be done over and result in a waste, as was the last project on the Silver Creek bridge. Any relatively minor addition to the Silver Creek budget, if needed, could be covered by the recent additional $358 million infusion to DOT’s budget for road and bridge projects.

New plans for the Silver Creek bridge should provide for an adequate elevation to prevent flooding, keeping Hope Street open during construction, a realistic work schedule, and the bundling of the overhead wires with the other utilities at the side of the bridge. Bristol needs to carefully discuss all these factors before agreeing to any new plans.

Patrick Barosh, Ph.D.
Bristol

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