Old Lyme — Nearly six years after first announcing a proposal to replace the more than century-old railroad bridge spanning the Connecticut River between Old Lyme and Old Saybrook, the estimated $400 million project appears to be moving forward.

Contracted engineers for The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, or Amtrak, recently submitted documents outlining the project to Old Lyme's Harbor Management Commission for review. The step is required to ensure the project is consistent with the town’s Harbor Management Plan — drafted in 1999 but last revised and digitized in 2012 — before the railroad service can proceed with obtaining a “Structures, Dredging & Fill” license from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, wrote a contracted project manager from Martinez Couch & Associates, or MCA, of Rocky Hill.

Obtaining the license from DEEP is one of many regulatory steps the rail service must take with both the state and federal governments — which include permits from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and the state's Historic Preservation Office — before it can proceed with building the new bridge.

Amtrak spokesperson Jason Abrams wrote by email Wednesday the rail service is in the process of obtaining those permits and according to Amtrak's website, the state’s Department of Transportation is a partner in the project. Abrams wrote that Amtrak and DOT are beginning to discuss how to coordinate the project and secure future funding options, as Amtrak has not yet lined up committed funding for the project, nor an exact timeline for when construction may begin. 

Construction is expected to take about four years to complete, Abrams wrote Wednesday.

According to information published in October 2019 by the Northeast Corridor Commission, construction was estimated to begin in 2024.

Amtrak has completed 60% of its final designs for the project, which have been temporarily halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Abrams wrote. Design work is expected to pick up again in October and be complete by September 2021.

After reviewing submitted documents at a virtual meeting Tuesday evening, commission Chairman Steven Ross said while the commission was in favor of the concept for a bridge replacement, additional information was needed from Amtrak before the commission would sign a determination form with the railroad service. The commission unanimously voted to delay approval.

Namely, the commission still is missing information about the project’s timeline, its impacts to the river’s water quality and health, as well as any navigational changes that may take place during construction, Ross said by phone Wednesday. Ross, who is also vice chairman of the Planning Commission, said he believes the Harbor Management Commission is the only regulatory body in town that will review the project before Amtrak can proceed with the state.

Amtrak also recently went before Old Saybrook's Harbor Management Commission seeking the same permission, where according to minutes from an April 20 meeting there, the commission determined the project to be consistent with that town's Harbor Management Plan.

In documents submitted to the Old Lyme commission, MCA said the existing Connecticut River Bridge is more than 1,500 feet long and has been operational since 1907, is “nearing the end of its useful life” and is due to be replaced with an entirely new two-track bascule bridge. The new bridge is proposed to be built 52 feet south of the existing bridge.

A 2006 inspection of the current structure, which is also known as the “oldest moveable bridge between New Haven and Boston,” according to Amtrak’s website, found "particularly problematic" concerns with the mechanical operating system and the bascule span's rolling tread plates.

“The frequent opening and closing of the bridge — over 3,000 times per year — puts high demands on its aging components, increasing maintenance costs for Amtrak and reducing reliability for both railway and marine traffic,” Amtrak wrote on its website. “A century of operation in a marine environment, coupled with (the) age of the structure has taken its toll and speeds are restricted to 45 mph. Many key elements of the bridge have reached the end of their design life and require extensive maintenance to remain in operable condition.”

MCA stated the new structure will create a slightly wider channel for vessels to pass underneath — increasing its width from 148 feet to 150 feet — and slightly shift the channel 14.5 feet west toward the center of the river.

Rail service will not be interrupted while the new bridge is being constructed, MCA wrote, but the navigation channel under the bridge will be required to close for up to 10 days. The submitted project documents did not state which time of year the closure would take place, but according to Amtrak’s website, the bridge's channel must remain open, by law, from May through September for recreational boats to pass and closes only when trains approach.

The existing bridge is situated on nine piers and sits 18 feet above the river, while the new bridge is proposed to be built 24 feet above the water’s surface on a new “substructure and foundations,” which will require dredging.

Upon completion of the new bridge, the old one will be decommissioned. “It is anticipated that approach spans would be lifted off their piers with a crane and placed on a barge for removal,” project documents state. “The existing moveable span would likely be floated out on barges." The contractor then would use an "expansion demolition agent" to break the piers into more manageable parts, which would be removed with a barge-mounted crane. The process will not require the use of explosives, the documents state.

According to project documents, because "the project site lacks any convenient, direct connections to local roadways for construction equipment and materials to access the site," Amtrak is planning to install a temporary trestle bridge across the nearby Lieutenant River and is coordinating that element with the U.S. Coast Guard.

Because part of the proposed worksite also extends into regulated tidal wetlands and open waterfront on the Connecticut River, project documents state that "Best Management Practices" will be used to "the maximum extent practicable to minimize impacts to the Connecticut River, tidal wetlands, and aquatic resources, and to minimize turbidity form water-based construction operations."

Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration have prepared an environmental assessment of the project in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, MCA wrote. Based on the study, the FRA found the project would have “no significant impact” in 2016. The environmental assessment was available for public review and comment in 2014 at the Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library.

It is not yet clear whether Amtrak is required to complete an environmental assessment with the state under its Connecticut Environmental Protection Act and, if so, whether that has been completed. Amtrak did not immediately respond to requests inquiring about such requirements this week.

m.biekert@theday.com