Taylor Street bridge closes in Montpelier
Drivers urged to use caution with new traffic changes
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By SUSAN ALLEN TIMES ARGUS STAFF - Published: February 9, 2010
MONTPELIER – The historic Taylor Street Bridge, a main gateway into downtown Montpelier, closed to traffic Monday and will remained blocked through October as much of the deck is replaced and the existing steel trusses are refurbished.
In addition, a temporary traffic light recently installed at the intersection of State and Taylor streets – which had been flashing yellow for State Street traffic and red for those coming off Taylor Street for about a week – began using traditional green/yellow/red signaling Monday to help regulate traffic at that busy intersection during peak commuter hours.
City Manager William Fraser said people coming into Montpelier can expect delays because of the closure, particularly in the coming days as drivers get used to the change.
"Traffic gets disrupted from the normal patterns and people assume they can do everything in the same amount of time and they can't … and they get frustrated," Fraser said. "In a couple of days, people figure it out."
He said commuters who use the Taylor Street Bridge or park in the lot behind the Chittenden Bank (just off Taylor Street) might consider allowing extra time to complete their commute, timing their arrival and departure to avoid heavy-traffic times, walking or biking when weather permits, or taking other steps to plan for and minimize the disruption.
Still, he conceded, "There's no doubt when you take that bridge away for the summer, it's going to make a difference."
Officials are also reminding drivers to be alert at the Taylor and State streets intersection. Because the traffic light is relatively new, many drivers are not used to looking up for a signal at that spot, and might inadvertently drive through a red light.
"We assume people are responsible drivers, but there's a change in downtown, there's a light where there wasn't one," Fraser said.
Essentially, he said, "Things might not go super smoothly at first. People should exercise caution."
The work is part of a $1.7 million federally funded project that has been under review for a decade. A December 2001 report issued for the City Council called for preserving the "historic, aesthetic, and distinct characteristics of the Montpelier cityscape," and saving as much of the original bridge as possible.
To meet that objective, the bridge will not be widened, and the original steel trusses that were constructed in 1929 will be preserved.
Fraser said the closure will be especially problematic during big downtown events, mentioning the July 3 Independence Day celebrations as an example.
"We're still trying to figure out July 3. This is a major exit route that won't be available," he said. "It certainly is going to involve some planning."
He said the city is not expecting problems similar to last summer's traffic snarls caused by construction on Routes 302 and 2, where businesses lost customers because of the congestion.
He said most people commute downtown to work, and then walk around to reach downtown businesses during the day.
"We're mostly worried about commuting hours," Fraser said.
The bridge was built in 1929 by the Berlin Construction Company, one of five metal truss bridges in Montpelier. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The original structure was a covered bridge, one of 1,200 Vermont bridges — 12 of them in Montpelier — destroyed Nov. 3 and 4 in the 1927 flood that dumped over nine inches of rainfall on Vermont in 24 hours.
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