The Bane Of Trucks –

Days Are Numbered For Church Hill’s Notorious Bridge

By Steve Bigham

The railroad overpass that spans Church Hill Road has proven to be quite a battle horse over the years. In addition to bearing the weight of the daily railroad crossings, the bridge has held up under a steady barrage of truck collisions from below, not to mention more than few graffiti artists. Through it all, the infamous bridge (rising 12 feet, 7 inches above roadway) has stood the test of time.

That is, until now.

This week, the state Department of Transportation (DOT) released a work schedule for the bridge replacement project which has been talked about for many years. The plan calls for the raising of the Housatonic rail line, the removal of the low-hanging bridge, which will be replaced with a brand new bridge that will provide a clearance of 14.9 feet, high enough to allow the state to remove all warning signs. There are no ordinary vehicles higher than 14 feet, according to state officials.

In September, the DOT will raise the rail line approximately three feet by gradually building up the roadbed under the rails. During this time, the rails will be raised, but the existing bridge will remain at the same level. The rail line will remain in service during this time, as well. Housatonic Railroad will do this work and will be reimbursed by the state.

In the spring of 2002, the footings and foundation for the new bridge will be completed and sometime during the summer of 2002 the old bridge will be lifted off and the new bridge lifted on. For a period of eight days, there will be no bridge. Also during this time, the rail line will close and Route 6 will be closed on two successive Saturdays from midnight to 5 am to accommodate the removal of the old and installation of the new bridge.

The DOT will then widen the road beneath the bridge from 24 feet to 30 feet and overlay about 600 feet of the road with a new surface.

The bridge will be constructed on Housatonic Railroad property near the old railroad station about 100 yards from the existing bridge.

State Representative Julia Wasserman announced the news earlier this week, saying it is high time Newtown got a new bridge.

“Since 1992 I have been monitoring this – pushing, bullying, lobbying. I’ll bet several hundred trucks have hit the bridge over the years,” she said. “This past year, I’ve been sitting on their doorstep, almost with my sleeping bag, to get this done. It was a very complicated issue.”

The biggest issue had to do with funding the estimated $4 million project, 80 percent of which will be funded by the federal government and 20 percent by the state. The other issue that complicated the process was that Housatonic Railroad owns the bridge and the tracks that cross it.

Final design work for the project was slated to be completed this week and bids will go out sometime in June.

The DOT had a plan in place to raise the bridge back in 1996, but the blueprint was put on hold after the state claimed it was unable to work out an agreement with Housatonic Railroad. The railroad has been very cooperative during recent talks, however, especially since the project is being completely funded with state and federal funds.

Almost weekly, trucks trying to reach Interstate 84 by way of Church Hill Road (Route 6) to Exit 10 shear off the tops of their trailers on the bridge.