Project Location: Town of Irasburg in Orange County on VT Route 14 over Black River. The bridge is located approximately 0.4 miles north of the junction with VT Route 58.

The Irasburg 124 project includes a deck replacement on the existing single span rolled beam bridge. The existing structure is 85 feet long and has a rail-to-rail width of 35-feet. The structure currently has a deck rating of 5 (fair), a superstructure rating of 7 (good), and a substructure rating of 7 (good). This bridge was constructed in 1939, and reconstructed 1968. The deck is approaching poor condition. There are multiple correlating areas where depressions have formed along the top of the deck and delaminated areas are present in the soffit with efflorescence leakage and saturation. Minor map cracking and saturation is present in various areas around the deck. Additionally, the membrane has been compromised in a few locations. The deck fascia on both the upstream and downstream side are in poor condition with spalling and delaminations along the entire length. Spalling has exposed longitudinal and transverse bars with rust scaling and are starting to thin.

VTrans evaluated alternatives for the rehabilitation of the bridge in an engineering study completed in October 2020. This study assessed the proposed design criteria for the structure, right-of-way, rare/threatened/endangered species impacts, wetland impacts, and archaeological impacts.  Several alternatives were considered, including: no action, deck rehabilitation, and deck replacement. Maintenance of traffic options considered included an offsite detour, phased construction, or a temporary bridge.

Given the age of the structure, site constraints and current conditions, the engineering study recommended a deck replacement with traffic maintained on an offsite detour for 30 days. 

Subsequent evaluation of the project has resulted in a determination that a complete bridge replacement is needed at this site.