Bridge Work Nears the End

The Observer advised its readers that the Enfield-Suffield Veterans bridge maintenance and repair project, which has been underway, slowly, for quite a while, and did indeed experience a work stoppage in mid-summer (out of respect for a new falcon brood in the structure) was still on schedule to be completed by the end of November. That still appears to be the situation.

Milling and paving the road surface, including the Enfield entrance and exit ramps, has occupied much of the time recently, with frequent shifting of dozens of traffic cones and barrels to maintain traffic flow during the work. This reporter was told by one of the repair crew and by the Enfield policeman on duty, that that day was the last of the work. But during subsequent weeks, the cones were still out there, and it was clear that small tasks were still in progress. Among these were a number of drain gratings along the shoulders and the joints between bridge sections (above every pier except two in the middle of the one three-pier span). Joints are necessary because the spans expand and contract with changes in temperature, and it’s a rare multiple-span bridge that can be crossed without hearing, “bump-bump, bump-bump” as one crosses.