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Liberty Street Bridge Getting Repairs Before Winter

After sustaining serious damage during what is being called “The Great Flood of 2018” of Sept. 25, the Liberty Street bridge in Chester has been out of commission and in need of repair. Those repairs are scheduled to begin this week, according to First Selectman Lauren Gister.

The Army Corps of Engineers has approved the needed permits for the project to move forward and Arborio Road and Bridge Construction Contractors Corporation will do the work.

“The structure of the bridge is intact,” said Gister. “It is in need of repairs to the underside and waterline, which will require divers in the water, and there will be work done to rebuild the bridge, the topsoil, road, and guardrails so it is usable again.”

In addition, the project will require the removal of debris that was washed down river by the storm surge and has built up at the bridge’s base.

The town is working to get the needed repairs completed before the weather shuts down the asphalt plants in the area and snow makes other work impossible.

“We are doing our best to get this project completed before the snow begins, because not only is it a safety issue and a bus issue right now, but when the snow begins, our snow plows won’t be able to turn around in the area unless the bridge is open and we don’t want them to have to turn around in people’s driveways,” Gister said.

Gister says the goal is to have the project completed sometime by the end of November or beginning of December.

The Board of Selectman has approved the first selectman to sign a contract for the project that is no more than $205,000. Those funds will be coming out of the town’s capital fund used to fix and improve roads and bridges throughout Chester.

“Those funds were not allocated specifically for this project, but right now we are looking at ways to make it work, with the possibility of maybe pushing some other projects that we had budgeted for, to later dates, making those funds available for this project,” said Gister.