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Town engineering describes emergency repairs at Second Brook culvert along Farmington Canal Heritage Trail
Summary
Simsbury engineering staff briefed the Conservation and Inland Wetlands Agency on emergency maintenance at the Second Brook culvert on the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, including hand clearing, inspection and possible machine repair and embankment stabilization; invasive plants were noted on the bank.
Simsbury engineering staff reported emergency maintenance work at the Second Brook culvert on the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail after a resident complaint and town field inspection revealed erosion and mortar/stone failure at the inlet side of an historic stone culvert.
Engineering director Adam Kessler told commissioners crews initially hand-cleared overgrowth to assess the extent of erosion and a void behind the stone arch. The town’s plan is to limit disturbance to the immediate inlet area, assess whether to rebuild the stone culvert or construct a new block inlet and then perform machine repairs as needed. Kessler said the remainder of the downstream culvert appears in good condition; town crews will inspect other culverts installed when the rail line was converted to trail.
Commissioners and staff noted invasive plants on the bank; Kessler agreed the site likely contains Japanese knotweed and said the town will try to address invasives as part of stabilization while keeping disturbance to a minimum. He also pointed out the town owns the culverts under the trail and will inspect other similar structures in the coming year.
No formal permit decision was requested that evening; staff reported a designated-agent approval had been issued for emergency maintenance and said further machine work and a stabilization plan will follow once the culvert condition is fully assessed.
