Project Location: Town of Worcester in Washington County on VT Route 12 over Hardwood Brook. The bridge is located approximately 4.6 miles north of the junction with Calais Road.  

The Worcester Bridge 87 project includes the replacement of the existing Corrugated Galvanized Metal Plate Pipe Arch (CGMPPA). The existing culvert was built in 1961 and has a span of 14-feet and is 96 feet long. There is an average of 6 feet of fill over the culvert. The structure currently has a culvert rating of 5 (Fair), and a channel rating of 5 (Fair). While the culvert is in fair condition, there are holes throughout the invert up to 2-inches in diameter.

VTrans evaluated alternatives for rehabilitation or replacement of the bridge in an engineering study completed in July 2020. This study assessed the proposed design criteria for the structure, right-of-way, rare/threatened/endangered species impacts, hydraulics, wildlife habitat, and wetland resource impacts. Several alternatives were considered, including: no action, invert repair, culvert liner, replacement with a new culvert, and replacement with a 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 hydraulics, site constraints and current conditions, the engineering study recommended a full bridge replacement with a new precast box or 3-sided frame while one lane of alternating traffic is maintained during construction.