FAIRFIELD, Conn. Repair work is planned for another of Fairfields aging bridges. The Valley Road Bridge in the Stratfield neighborhood got its first approval for early-stage work Wednesday afternoon.
This has been in the pipeline for several years, public works director Rich White told the Board of Selectmen. Were in the preliminary design stages now.
The bridge crosses Horse Tavern Brook on Valley Road, where the street intersects the scenic section of Brooklawn Parkway. It was built in 1930 and last saw a major renovation in 1957. When it was last inspected by the state in 2009, its deck and superstructure were rated poor, citing cracks in the concrete and rust in the metal supports.
The town set aside $185,000 four years ago to pay for the initial design for a new bridge. The federal government will now pay for 80 percent of the repair costs, leaving the cost to Fairfields taxpayers at $37,000. After a few designs are made, White said the project will go to residents in the area for input.
The Valley Road construction would be the second bridge renovation over Horse Tavern Brook in the same time-frame. The towns government approved a similar plan to fix the bridge over the creek on Merritt Street earlier this year. That work is expected to begin this year and will be finished in nine months. White said work on the Valley Road bridge would not occur at the same time.
They wont be interfering with each other in terms of traffic, White said.
The Merritt Street bridge will cost about $1.6 million to replace, with the federal government covering 80 percent of the cost and the town paying about $334,000. The total cost of the Valley Road work isnt clear yet, but it will have to pass through the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance as well as the Representative Town Meeting first. White expects that process to start next year.
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