Submitted by Maya Tichio
My name is Maya Tichio and I live adjacent to the North Street Bridge project.
While I recognize the bridge must be re-built, the current Department of Public Works (“DPW”) 18-24 month plan of closing one lane and 1-lane with alternating traffic is unnecessarily long. The traffic congestion will materially negatively impact the quality of life of not only my neighborhood but all individuals who use North Street to go to school (Greenwich High School,
North Street School, Central Middle School, Greenwich Catholic School, Temple Sholom Learning Center, Greenwich Country Day School, Brunswick School and Greenwich Academy), people commuting to Greenwich Train Station and business owners like Sam Bridge. An alternative project plan must be sought that drastically shortens the timeline and addresses both safety and traffic concerns of residents who depend on this vital artery in our town.
The Practicality of Emergency Vehicles Access
– One of the main reasons listed on the DPW FAQ’s August 22, 2024 document ¹ for an alternating light with one lane centers around emergency vehicle access.
– However, given the existing conditions, the bridge is narrow (approximately 26 feet from stonewall to stonewall of the bridge) and does not currently allow a fire truck (typically 15+ feet wide) to remain in its lane when crossing the bridge. Therefore, if one side of the bridge is being worked on, the fire truck will realistically not even fit in the one lane open to traffic.
– Also, the bridge is rated for 4 tons. An average fire truck weighs from 27.5 tons up to 40 tons (fully loaded with water). It will take significant buttressing to accommodate 40 tons on a half bridge meant to bear 4 tons.
– Lastly, when the traffic backs up, the shoulder of this area of North Street will not accommodate cars moving over to allow a fire truck to pass, even if ultimately the truck is given priority over the bridge.
Assessing the Impact on Traffic
– DPW stated in FAQ’s August 22, 2024, that “DPW does not anticipate a change to the traffic as a result of this project [because] … the alternating 1-way traffic signal [will] match the timing of the traffic signal at North Street/Fairfield/Parsonage.”
– During the school year, between 4:30-6pm on weekdays, the traffic from the North Street/Fairfield/Parsonage light backs up past MacPherson, up to 150 North Street (over 0.8 miles). There is no timing for an additional choke-point that will accommodate that existing traffic build up.
– In addition, I dispute the DPW’s claim that North Street’s daily car count is only 7,000. It seems they took this number from 2020 AADT Historical Data, during COVID, which aligns with when they were planning the project in 2021/2022. If you look at the CTDOT website, as of August 20, 2024, the average daily traffic count between the stop light at North Street/Fairfield/Parsonage and North Maple Avenue is 9,500 ².
– It was disconcerting to see a DPW-Engineering Division traffic counter installed on August 22, 2024 near the MacPherson mailboxes. Doing a traffic count while many people are on summer vacation will likely not capture representative traffic numbers for this major road artery.
– DPW states that it will be using Accelerated Bridge Construction (“ABC”) methods for the North Street Bridge. However, the State of CT Department of Transportation states in its “ABC Decision Making Process” that Alternating Lanes of Traffic (“ALT”) should not be used for traffic volumes over 8,000 cars daily. 3 With more than 8,000 cars, it seems that the suggested project, which depends on ALT, does not meet the criteria set by the state.
What is Considered Giving “Notice,” a Requirement for Funding
– Very few people know about the North Street Bridge project because the notification process is ineffective.
– The DPW said in the meeting on April 9, 2024 that they had notified the public. 4
– I believe that the notice was only posted on the Greenwich Town website. As a resident adjacent to the project, it would seem reasonable that I would have received a specific notice in the mail about this important meeting that directly impacts my property. I received no notification and only was at the meeting by happenstance.
My request
– As an adjacent resident adversely impacted by the North Street Bridge project, I am opposed to the current DPW plan until the traffic impact of the bridge repair is assessed by an independent traffic firm in an expedited manner.
– Understanding the impact on traffic will dictate what is the most efficient way to repair the bridge, allowing a weighing of timing and cost against the impact on the quality of life of individuals that depend on North Street to conduct their daily lives.
– I am not an engineer (nor am I saying that 160,000 cars on I-95 is equivalent to the 9,500 on North Street Bridge daily) but watching the I-95 bridge in Norwalk be rebuilt in only three days after the catastrophic fire in May gives me confidence that a curtailed, concentrated timeframe for the North Street Bridge project is not only possible but must be more rigorously investigated.
– A major engineering firm familiar with the North Street Bridge confirmed that the repair could be completed in approximately two months with both lanes open and only closing the bridge for a period of a few weeks during the summer holidays, when the traffic count is at its nadir.
– Either the small, CT-based engineering firm in charge of the construction needs to submit a revised plan, based on current traffic patterns available on CTDOT, that could be completed during school summer vacation, or DPW should solicit a second opinion from an engineering firm with more experience with accelerated bridge construction.
– Lastly, there has to be a more effective way to inform impacted parties about long term infrastructure projects like the North Street Bridge.
North Street Bridge Coalition
– I am not alone in my concerns about the process by which DPW considered it notified impacted parties and more importantly, how this project will proceed in order to minimize disruption to our community.
– A group of Greenwich residents has formed the North Street Bridge Coalition. They have created a petition (NorthStreetBridge.com) that allows members of our community to participate in finding a less onerous solution to proceed with these much- needed repairs.
– The North Street Bridge Coalition has achieved some success as the DPW request for the Board of Estimate and Taxation (“BET”) to release project funding was withdrawn the day before the September 10 BET meeting. As a result, the DPW will not request the release of funds until after the First Selectman’s public meeting on October 7 at 7:00pm. Recent developments like these will be updated on the website with the petition.
Thank you for your consideration and time.
Maya Tichio
Footnotes
1 https://www.greenwichct.gov/DocumentCenter/View/44915/22-16-North-Street-Bridge-FAQs-PDF?bidId=
2 https://portal.ct.gov/dot/pp_sysinfo/traffic-monitoring?language=en_US
3 https://portal.ct.gov/dot/bridges/bridge-standard-practices?language=en_US “CTDOT Decision Making Process” by the CT Department of Transportation. Tab “Alt Traffic Delay Time”, cell B25 “Do not use alternating one way traffic for ADT over 8000”.
4 https://www.greenwichct.gov/DocumentCenter/View/41072/Public-Information-Meeting-North-Street-Bridge