New London - State Department of Transportation officials welcomed comments Thursday on an upcoming $22 million rehabilitation project for the southbound side of the Gold Star Memorial Bridge.

The work, expected to begin in the spring of 2017, is still in the preliminary design phase and may take until the fall of 2018 to complete.

State DOT Project Manager Andrew Cardinali said the purpose of Thursday's meeting at City Hall was to allow for any concerns expressed by businesses, municipalities or citizens to be incorporated into the final design.

Four people attended Thursday's presentation.

Cardinali described the work as preventive maintenance on the 41-year-old bridge, with the major portion of the rehabilitation focused on the deck. A $2.3 million portion of the work also is slated for the exit ramp taking traffic onto Route 32 in New London. There will be temporary lane closures during off-peak hours.

Work involves complete removal of the cracking asphalt and the protective membrane underneath to expose the concrete below. Workers will patch the concrete deck along the 593,000-square-foot length of the mile-long bridge where needed.

"Motorist will be driving on concrete instead of asphalt for a while," Cardinali said.

The work includes the replacement of three overhead signs and their supports - probably the only time when workers will need to temporarily shut down all travel lanes of the highway, Cardinali said.

There are also repairs planned for portions of the steel structures under the deck, spot painting where necessary and repairs to expansion joints between the sections of the bridge. Ricky Mears, project engineer for CME Associates, said water seeping under the bridge has led to deterioration of concrete and rusting and corrosion of steel.

The project includes repairs to the sidewalk on the bridge and updated signs in New London directing pedestrians to the sidewalk.

James Butler, executive director of the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments, told presenters he was representing Groton and New London, and reminded them "we're a busy summer location." Butler asked about the timing of lane closures during events such as SailFest.

William Lewis, from the engineering office of the City of Groton Public Works Department, asked about impacts on local roadways with residential homes near the bridge during times of construction. He also warned of a homeless population living under the bridge.

Cardinali said both concerns would be addressed with contractors as the design phase proceeds.

Michael Marzi, from the DOT's Rights of Way Division, said most of the work and construction equipment will be on the bridge, though there will be work from below on both state-owned and private property.

The state is now performing a deed search and once plans are finalized, some property owners will be contacted. He said the state will likely need to acquire "temporary easements" to perform work. Property owners will be compensated "fair market value" for use of the property. In the event a deal is not reached between a property owner and the state, Marzi said the state could use eminent domain to obtain temporary access.

The Gold Star is the longest bridge in the state and work on the southbound side is expected to be minor compared to the estimated $200 million in work planned for the northbound side, which opened to traffic in 1943. While the southbound side is listed by the state to be in "fair" condition, the northbound side is in "poor" condition.

g.smith@theday.com

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