Burke Bridge Being Replaced

Details

Created on Wednesday, 19 November 2014 20:38

Written by Ryan Rutledge

EAST BURKE - Commuters trying to get to Burke Mountain may have to take a long detour this upcoming April.

V-Trans is set to replace the bridge in the center of town; a bridge that has been around for ninety years.
Over those nine decades, water from the Dish Mill brook has slowly corroded the bridge's concrete supports.
Plans for the new bridge say that it will be nine feet wider with the inclusion of a bike lane and sidewalk leaving more room for pedestrians and the many bikers who utilize the trails in town. The risks of hydroplaning and flooding would also be reduced.
The detour produced by the construction will be sending drivers from just about anywhere south of East Burke fourty-eight miles around to get to the other side of the bridge.
Typically when replacing a bridge, it could take upwards of two years to complete a project; however with the state's Accelerated Bridge program, the process should only take about five months. So with construction set to begin in April, the bridge could be complete a soon as the end of August.