October Meeting of the West Norwalk Association
Monday, October 21, 2024
7:30pm
Fox Run Elementary School
Attendees:
42 residents in attendance plus three government officials (City of Norwalk Chief of Operations & Public Works – Engineering and Construction Division Vanessa Valadares, Senior Civil Engineer – Engineering and Construction Division Paul Sotnik, and Common Council Member James Frayer).
WNA President Anthony Carrano opened the meeting, and introduced Vanessa Valadares, who gave the presentation.
Presentation on the West Cedar Street Bridge over the Five Mile River Replacement (Project 102-366)
- Any bridge that is 20’ or more is federally inspected and given a rating, which then entitles it to federal funding for repairs
- Rating scale is 1-9
- When the West Cedar Street Bridge was initially rated at the beginning of the project, it was given a “4”
- Currently, its rating is a “2”
- Initial cost coverage for this project were to be 80% federal/20% City of Norwalk, although there is the possibility that the costs will now be fully funded and there will be no cost to the city
- Benesch, the company selected to do the work, was chosen primarily because they have experience working on similar bridges – the City of Norwalk prioritized maintaining the look/style of the West Cedar Street Bridge as part of its renovation plans
- The existing bridge allows for only 1 car to pass at a time (limited width)
- The character of the arch under the bridge will be replicated as closely as possible, although there will be a slight corner angle adjustment
- The new bridge will be covered in stone veneer
- Water flow under the bridge will not be impacted at all (this is a REQUIREMENT for any repair/replacement project)
- The new bridge will feature:
- 2 – 11’ lanes (shared with bicycles – no dedicated bicycle lane)
- 1 – 3’ shoulder
- 1 – 5’ sidewalk
- $3.87 million cost estimate
- Construction bids going out 10/22/24
- Goal is for municipal approval by the end of November
- Ideally, construction would begin Spring 2025 with a completion date of Fall 2025
- There will be a vehicular detour in place April 1 – November 30, 2025
- There will be pedestrian restrictions in June and September of 2025
- A temporary pedestrian bridge will be installed during these times
- Please find attached the LINK to the original presentation on this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm9VD3ZPR8s
Q&A
- What if the timeline gets delayed? How can the public check?
- The City of Norwalk will provide updates through social media and also directly to the WNA board to pass along to its membership.
- Can you give us more details about the composite stone being used?
- It is stone veneer – not artificial.
- The bridge will have a concrete base with cut stones adhered to the base.
- The look will mimic the existing stone as closely as possible.
- As part of the bidding process, mockups will be made/assessed.
- Can the City re-use the existing stone?
- That would be up to the contractor, but unlikely as the cost to cut it would be high, many of the existing stones are not in good shape (stained due to calcification).
- Will traffic be re-routed onto Geneva Road? There are no sidewalks.
- That street is not on the official re-routing plan, but local residents may choose to use alternative routes that they are familiar with; however, the City will monitor this street in case intervention is required.
- Why is the existing arch under the bridge being altered?
- The existing arch is too low and does not meet the 100 year storm requirement.
- Will a traffic light be installed on Route 1/West Norwalk Road to help facilitate left hand turns onto Route 1?
- The Town of Darien has denied this request.
- Will this construction affect rain water backup?
- It should not have any negative impact on that.
- Will the elevation of the new bridge be the same as the existing bridge?
- The new bridge will be slightly (inches) higher to blend the transition to the road better.
- How will school buses be directed throughout the construction?
- The City of Norwalk School District is aware of the construction and makes their own determination as to how to re-route their buses/establish temporary bus stops which may not follow the official detour routes.
- Will this project be completed BEFORE the Richard’s Avenue roundabout project begins?
- Vandessa believes yes, but that project is being overseen by TMP.
(End of Q&A)
Miscellaneous
A representative from the League of Women Voters reminded residents that early voting begins today.
Anthony Carrano asked people to “save the date” for a WNA holiday gathering on December 11th at O’Deens.
The November meeting will take place on Monday, November 4 at 7:30pm at Fox Run Elementary School.