Project Location: Town of Lowell in Orleans County on VT Route 100 over unnamed brook. The bridge is located approximately 0.2 miles south of the junction with VT Route 58.

The Lowell Bridge 237 project includes the replacement of the existing triple ACCGMPP (Aluminum Coated Corrugated Galvanized Metal Plate Pipes). The existing culverts have a span of 6-feet each and are each 90-feet long.  There is an average of 7 feet of fill over the culverts. The structure currently has a culvert rating of 4 (Poor), and a channel rating of 4 (Poor). The culvert has significant deformation, misalignment, large perforations, heavy rust scaling and pitting present. Additionally, the existing culvert does not meet the calculated or measured bank full width.

VTrans evaluated alternatives for rehabilitation or replacement of the bridge in an engineering study completed in August, 2020. This study assessed the proposed design criteria for the structure, right-of-way, rare/threatened/endangered species impacts, wetlands impacts, hydraulics, and utility impacts. Several alternatives were considered, including: no action, culvert liner, replacement with a new precast box, new metal plate pipe, repalcement with an open bottom frame, or a new integral abutment bridge. An offsite detour, phased construction, and a temporary bridge were evaluated as potential maintenance of traffic options.

Given the age of the structure, substandard bankfull width, site constraints and current conditions, the structure will undego a full bridge replacement with a new steel plate pipe while maintaining traffic on a short-term offsite detour.    

The bridge will be constructed during the summer of 2025.