Project manager updates Norwalk crowd on plans for Walk Bridge project

NORWALK, Conn. – Residents and business owners filled City Hall’s Community Room Tuesday night to hear a presentation on how the Walk railroad bridge will either be rebuilt or replaced, with construction tentatively scheduled to begin in 2017 and lasting 36 to 54 months.

Led by Christian Brown, the project manager from the engineering firm the state has selected to design the project, the program included descriptions of the types of bridges that might replace the existing 119-year-old structure, as well as how it might be reconstructed so it could remain in service.

In either case, the project is expected to cost as much as $600 million, with funding coming from both the state and the federal government.

The bridge carries Metro-North’s New Haven Line and Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor trains over the Norwalk River, and runs between East and South Norwalk. It has recently been plagued by mechanical problems that, in May and June 2014, caused the shutdown of rail traffic for several hours.

Brown, of HNTB Corporation in Kansas City, Mo., said the project must result in a structure that has “reliable performance – one that you can count on to open and close safely and in a predictable manner.”

He said the new or rebuilt bridge must be resistant to severe storms, such as Hurricane Sandy, as well as seismic events, and must be able to maintain railroad and water use to the greatest extent possible.

During the conceptual engineering phase, Brown said, his firm considered more than 70 feasible options before deciding on five structural designs that could replace the bridge, with reconstruction being the sixth alternative under consideration.

Adding to the difficulty in the planning is the need for the railroads to continue using at least a portion of the existing bridge while construction is in progress, and for maritime traffic to continue to be able to get past the bridge. In its current design, the bridge swings on a turntable to enable passage of tall vessels.

Brown said that, throughout construction, two tracks will remain in service.

The project also must allow for the continued operation of businesses that are in close proximity to the bridge. And consideration is being given to where construction materials and vehicles will be stored during the project.

Brown said construction would occur in sequences, and some portions of the bridge would probably be built away from the immediate site and then transported to the location when ready.

James A. Fallon, manager of facilities and transit for the state Department of Transportation, said barges may be used to transport portions of the bridge constructed elsewhere to the site.

Brown said the goal is to complete construction in 2020.

Continually updated information about the project can be found at walkbridgect.com.