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Essex to fund $7,500 borings as DOT, engineers weigh bridge options on Falls River
Summary
The Capital Committee agreed the town will pay $7,500 for subsurface borings to assess whether the Falls River/River Road bridge can reuse existing abutments after DOT approved Cardinal Engineering’s FAR audit but reimbursement remains uncertain.
Ryan Welch, Essex’s Public Works Director, told the Capital Committee on Feb. 9 that the Connecticut Department of Transportation has approved Cardinal Engineering Associates’ Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) audit, clearing Cardinal to work on the Falls River/River Road earmark project but not guaranteeing reimbursement of all costs.
Brett Stark of AI Engineering said two proposed tasks — a bathymetric survey and subsurface borings — would not be eligible for federal reimbursement at this time. To move the project forward, Mr. Welch proposed the Town pay $7,500 to perform subsurface boring tests to determine whether the existing bridge abutments can be reused or must be replaced. Town Engineer Bob Doane and Mr. Stark described the $7,500 quote as reasonable and fair.
The committee instructed Mr. Welch to confirm the scope of the borings with Joseph Cermola at Cardinal and to proceed with payment so the investigation can determine next steps for the design and potential bonding. Brett Stark also recommended scheduling a meeting with Cardinal and the Capital Committee to review the firm’s audit and negotiated scope of services; he estimated the audit/rate review process would take about six weeks.
Why it matters: The borings will clarify whether the project can salvage existing foundations (which could reduce cost and complexity) or requires new abutments, a change that would affect the project schedule and scope for any future bond request. The funding and reimbursement question also affects whether the Town will be reimbursed through the earmark for these early investigative costs.
What’s next: Mr. Welch will email Cardinal to confirm the borings scope and the committee will meet with Cardinal and AI Engineering during contract negotiations. No formal vote was required to authorize the $7,500 test; the decision was recorded during discussion.
