Hazard Mitigation Committee Will Not Pursue Sanborn Bridge Removal, For Now

Paul Hayes phayes@littletonrecord.com Staff Writer Aug 26, 2024

 

 

LYNDON — The Hazard Mitigation Committee has advanced two flood relief projects to the next step.

Neither called for the removal of the Sanborn Covered Bridge.

On Monday, the committee agreed to submit grant pre-applications to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for two projects.

— One would replace dry culverts on Main Street with a dry bridge, to allow Passumpsic River floodwaters to pass more easily.

— The other would restore the floodplain at the former town garage site on Route 114 to catch Passumpsic River debris before it can reach and clog downstream bridges and culverts.

The dry bridge proposal will also undergo a full cost-benefit analysis.

Both projects would alleviate high water events at the north end of Main Street. The dry bridge would reduce 500-year flood levels at the Route 5/114/122 intersection by six inches and at the nearby Riverview Estates mobile home park by about four inches.

For now, the Hazard Mitigation Committee will not pursue an option to remove the Sanborn Covered Bridge, which consultants SLR International said would deliver the greatest flood relief for the area by the flood-prone Route 5/114/122 intersection.

The bridge is undergoing a $2.2 million renovation, which is well underway, and committee members felt the project could be redesigned to address flood concerns.

Although the bridge has been removed from its perch over the Passumpsic River, the contract to renovate it and return it to new abutments has not been put out to bid.

“I know that that group [behind the renovation] is trying to make some compromises,” said Marty Feltus, chair of the Hazard Mitigation Committee, on Monday. “In light of what we learned [from SLR] they are trying to do the right thing. If it delays them a little bit do get some different engineering to make sure they can accomplish what they want, I think they will do that.”

The Hazard Mitigation Committee decided less than a week after a two-hour public hearing where several people spoke in favor of keeping the Sanborn Covered Bridge where it was.

At that meeting, Nicole Gratton, the project manager for the bridge renovation, said, “Lyndon is the covered bridge capital of the Northeast Kingdom and I think that collaboratively we can find a way the bridge can continue to be a staple and entrance-way into this community and also be supportive of reducing flooding.”

“I think with some time and thinking together — whether that’s a redesign of the abutments, an increased elevation — we want the bridge to be safe, and we want to reduce flooding as well.”

In November, the Hazard Mitigation Committee hired SLR International to do a year-long study of flood fixes, focusing on the Route 5/114/122 intersection.

In July, SLR International produced a draft study that listed 14 potential flood fixes for downtown along the Passumpsic River corridor.

The study is funded by a $75,000 subgrant from the State of Vermont’s Flood Resilient Communities Fund.

With completed studies in hand, municipalities can seek further grant funding for project implementation.

Flood mitigation has become a pressing concern as major storms occur with increased frequency in Vermont.

Members of SLR International’s scoping study team said so-called “100-year floods” have grown 20 to 40 percent larger since the 1970s.

For more information on Lyndon flood mitigation efforts, visit https://www.lyndonvt.org/?page_id=692