Lagoon Pond Committee Notes from Decemer 2, 2005

Present: Melinda Loberg and Mark London (Lagoon Pond Committee) and Steve McLaughlin (MassHighway)

Location: MassHighway Offices, Boston

Existing - As District 5 indicated, the Bridge Section is reviewing the Lichtenstein report so they can determine which preventative repairs are warranted, if any.

Temporary Bridge - They are still awaiting the Coast Guard permit as well as the third, and hopefully final, review of the 100% design plans by the bridge and sections. He expects to advertise for construction in January or February, assuming the permit and approvals are forthcoming. - If it were advertised, say, on February 15, they would open bids about April 1, would award the contract about June 1, and would probably start construction in mid-June. - The completion date for the bridge is very dependent upon the ability to award the contract per the time-line above. Any delay could cause construction to be delayed up to one year. With the construction start in mid-June, the completion could take between one year and 18 months depending upon whether we get an accelerated schedule approved. - The cost estimate is now $6,026,130 not including the cost of securing the right of way from the owners of the house, but including about 10% for demolition of the existing bridge. Most of this will be for construction of foundations, transportation of materials, and labor. - The temporary bridge will likely be mostly or all newly built. MassHighway will own the structure and can reuse it elsewhere. - They believe that the present proposal for bikes and pedestrians are safe. There will be a crosswalk at both ends of the bridge to allow bikers and pedestrian on the ocean-side shoulder of the road to reach the walkway on the opposite side. They are presently looking at the possibility of widening this walkway. In some areas, it seems easy to get another couple of feet. On the structure itself, it might be possible to add a foot or more, except right in front of the house; they are presently doing a structural analysis. Sometimes these adjustments can be made during the construction process. - The Coast Guard permit will most likely specify that the temporary bridge will be in place for a maximum of six years. - All permitting entities have now agreed to a more extended period for working in the water, namely from June 1 to January 14. This should help with the timely construction of both the temporary and permanent . - They will look at the possibility of an accelerated construction schedule. We suggested that this might be particularly important in ensuring that the work in the water is completed by the January 14, 2007 deadline for working in the water.

Drawbridge Committee Notes from December 2, 2005 1 of 1 - It would be desirable that the Town(s) identify a designated area for staging, specifying any conditions it wishes. Otherwise, it is up to the contractor to make his or her own arrangements. - MassHighway considers that the temporary bridge as now designed and (almost) permitted is the only viable option, and it intends to build it.

Permanent Bridge - They have received 10 responses to the RFP, are in the process of preparing a shortlist (probably of 3), will call for technical proposals for the end of January, will do interviews and select a firm in February. It would then take about two months to work out the terms of a contract, and three months to have the contract officially finalized and authorized, so a consultant could be in place by July. - It will take about two years to complete the design, once a consultant is in place. Mass Highway along with their selected design firm will endeavor to seek community input during this process. - The current design calls for two 12’ travel lanes, two 4’ wide shoulders, one 8’ wide two- way bike path and two 61/2’ sidewalks for a total of 53’. The additional width will be added on the harbor side of the new bridge. - We discussed that it would be desirable to have a clear community position about the possibility of having a fixed, higher bridge instead of a drawbridge, but didn’t conclude how this might be done. It would involve an analysis of the need for boating access to the pond, including mooring and emergency refuge, and what alternatives are available for the taller that would not be able to get under a fixed bridge. The taller the bridge, the longer the approaches would be in a 20:1 ratio (5% slope).

Possibility of a Pontoon Bridge - The environmental impacts would likely be significant (salt marshes, fish) given that the entire bridge would have to be solidly anchored to the pond bottom and also would involve permanent darkness under the expanse of the bridge for many years. This means that it is unlikely that it would be permitted in that there is a less intrusive alternative available, namely the temporary bridge as already permitted. - It is unclear that a pontoon bridge could be installed and reliably carry general traffic – including buses and 18-wheel trucks – for many years in the coastal conditions at the site (tides, nor’easters, etc.). The bridge may not be able to be used in stormy weather. It would have to be ADA compliant. - The construction cost of this bridge including the abutments at the ends, the purchase and installation of the bridge, the construction of slips for the mobile sling hoists and the hoists themselves, may well cost the same as the temporary bridge. - It is questionable whether it is practical to move all the boats into and out of the pond using mobile boat hoists, especially in a pre-storm situation. - This would set back the timetable by two years for having a safe and reliable alternative to the existing bridge in that MassHighway would have to start the whole process over from scratch: hire an engineer, prepare a design, get permits, etc.

Drawbridge Committee Notes from December 2, 2005 2 of 2