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Cheshire council authorizes application for state 50% grant to replace Notch Road Bridge
Summary
The Town of Cheshire authorized applying for a Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) local bridge program 50% matching grant to replace the Notch Road Bridge over the 10 Mile River; the town manager was authorized to execute grant documents and the motion passed unanimously.
The Town of Cheshire Town Council on May 27 authorized the town to apply for a Connecticut Department of Transportation local bridge program 50% matching grant to replace the Notch Road Bridge over the 10 Mile River and directed Town Manager Sean M. Kimball to execute application and grant documents on the town’s behalf.
Councilors said the timber-and-concrete structure approaching Mixville Park is roughly 95 years old and that an SLR inspection in March identified defects that merit replacement in the near term. Kimball told the council the estimated full replacement cost is $2,480,000, making the town’s potential 50 percent reimbursement about $1,244,100. He said the application deadline is May 31, which is why the council considered the authorization at a special meeting.
Councilors discussed that the project had been included in the town’s proposed 2025–29 capital expenditure plan and that the town typically assumes eligible bridge projects will receive 50 percent state funding when preparing capital offsets. A council member asked whether grant approvals include time limits; Kimball said the town generally has one year to complete design after grant approval and that the town would need to move the project forward within a few years if funded. The council voted unanimously to approve resolution number 052725-1 authorizing the application and the town manager’s signature authority.
The council did not authorize construction spending at the meeting; members and staff said this vote only permits filing the grant application. SLR’s replacement estimate and the projected grant share were described as engineer estimates that could change after design and bidding. Councilors and staff noted bids for similar bridge projects have sometimes come in below estimates but did not provide firm bid figures or a final construction schedule.
Next steps identified during the discussion include filing the CTDOT application by May 31 and, if awarded, completing design within the grant timeline. The item was presented during the special meeting; questions about detailed design, project schedule and how the work would be accelerated in the capital plan were deferred to later capital budget presentations.
