Temporary bridge placed over failing Popple Dungeon culvert

By Shawn Cunningham
© Telegraph Publishing LLC

If you’re traveling on Popple Dungeon Road in Chester in the next couple of years, you might want to slow down just past the three-mile mark where you will find yourself driving up onto a one lane bridge sitting up on stone blocks.

The town of Chester placed this temporary structure there last week because the culvert just beyond Zezza Road is failing.

According to Public Works Director Graham Kennedy, the bridge is rated for 40 tons and was leased from the State of Vermont for $175/month.

At a recent Select Board hearing, executive assistant Julie Hance said that the culvert is in critical condition and needs replacement. Hance requested permission to apply for a Transportation Alternatives Grant to replace the culvert. The project is estimated at $400,000  with grant funding covering $300,000, with a required match from the town of $100,000.

The Transportation Alternatives Grant includes federal monies and has a fairly long lead time so the temporary bridge will be in place for at least a couple of years.

On Monday Hance told The Telegraph that this has been a long time in coming but that there wasn’t substantial grant money available in the past to take care of the situation. “Tropical Storm Irene didn’t help,” said Hance, “but it didn’t do enough damage to be part of the Irene funding.”

When the grant comes through, the culvert will be replaced with a multi-plate arch while the bridge keeps the road open during construction. The bridge will be removed when the arch is completed.