One phase done, bridge still closed
By Karen Mann JOURNAL REPORTER

Officials from the Department of Public Works guide a 17-ton piece of cement into the ground as the new culvert as the Westminster Street bridge is put together. The bridge is being rebuilt by the DPW after it was hit by a tractor-trailer this past spring. JOURNAL PHOTO/KAREN MANN

Although school started last week, the road to education in Ashburnham and Westminster has a few detours on it.

These detours, according to Ashburnham Department of Public Works Director Don Ouellette, should be unnecessary by the end of the month, as the Westminster Street bridge reopens at the end of the month. Westminster Street is the main road that brings Westminster residents to Oakmont Regional High and Overlook Middle schools.

"We are working on that, we pulled the old bridge out," said Ouellette in an interview last week. "Tuesday we will dig a new channel to divert stream to put a new culvert in.

The new culvert will go in Wednesday and Thursday."

The bridge is being replaced because it received serious damage this past spring after being hit by a tractor-trail truck. The decision was made to do most of the repair work in-house, to save the town, and taxpayers money, said Ouellette.

A piece of cement is dropped from the sky into the ground on Westminster Street. Seven of these pieces were placed into the street this week to form the culvert of the new bridge being built on Westminster Street. Town officials hope to have the street reopened in the beginning of October. JOURNAL PHOTO/KAREN MANN

In the spring, town officials estimated the price of taking out the old bridge and putting in a new one would cost between $60,000- $75,000. Last week, Ouellette said these numbers are still correct.

"We will be right around the $60,000," said Ouellette. The new culvert he said cost about $36,000, the crane cost $10,000, the excavator cost $5,000, and he added in another $5,000 for miscellaneous costs.

"If we contracted it out, it would have been $200,000," said Ouellette. "Doing it in-house, for the taxpayers, was a good deal."

When the accident first occurred, Town Administrator Kevin Paicos said it might be possible for the town to be reimbursed through insurance money for some of the work.

This week, Interim Town Administrator Paul Boushell said this would not be happening.

"We wish," said Boushell. "It is not a state project, it is a local road, so we are ultimately responsible for it."

Although the town had to foot the bill, Boushell said not fixing the bridge was not an option, because it is the main road the buses use to get to Oakmont and Overlook schools, and also used frequently by emergency vehicles in both towns. Drivers trying to cross from South Ashburnham Road in Westminster to Westminster and Williams roads in Ashburnham have had to loop around Platts Street and then back on Williams Road.

Bus routes did have to be altered for at least the first month of school. Ouellette and Boushell said school administrators were notified as early as possible so they could rework bus routes.

"We sent a letter off the superintendent saying we are moving as fast as we can," said Ouellette. "They understand the nature of the beast. We can't just send a crew out and have it done in a day."

Ouellette said the process to repair the bridge has been running as quickly as possible. First they had to wait for a clean up the fuel spill, and an evaluation of the damage, then they started looking for avenues of funding.

The selectmen allocated money for the project in early June, which led to a four week long bid process as regulated by state law for the project. According to Ouellette, it was then another two weeks to through the shop drawing phase, to approve the blueprint plans. "There really has been no slack time, we have it done by September 30, it will a big accomplishment." Although the culvert is being placed the ground this week, Ouellette said the concrete takes 28 days to secure, which why he is giving the first or second week of October as the estimated opening date of the bridge.

Even when the bridge is reopened, work will not be complete, as a new sidewalk and railings will be put in but Ouellette doesn't think this will happened until the spring.

"All of that will happen this fall hopefully," said Ouellette. "It is going, we are moving as fast as we can."