Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Overpass pavement slumps in the night
By SETH HARKNESS, Portland Press Herald Writer
Copyright © 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
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Staff photo by Gregory Rec
Workers from the Maine Department of Transportation mark off measurements Tuesday near a depression in the pavement on the bridge over the Guilford Rail System tracks in Kennebunk. A Kennebunk Ambulance crew reported the 1-foot-deep crease about 2 a.m. Tuesday.
KENNEBUNK — A railroad overpass on the main road between Kennebunk and Kennebunkport was closed to traffic indefinitely Tuesday after repairs to the train tracks below apparently caused part of the Route 35 span to buckle during the night. Most tourists seemed to have little trouble finding alternate routes to the towns' waterside commercial centers. State transportation officials said they were assessing what happened, and could not estimate when the bridge would reopen. Nor could they say whether the suspension of passenger train service because of the Democratic National Convention in Boston would have to be extended beyond this week.
"Certainly it's a matter of days," Greg Nadeau, a Maine Department of Transportation spokesman, said of the timeline for fixing the bridge. "Whether that's two, three or a week, we just don't have any way of knowing."
About 20 orange-vested MDOT engineers surrounded the bridge Tuesday morning, searching for clues to why a 1-foot-deep crease appeared on its southern end. State officials closed the bridge shortly after a Kennebunk Ambulance crew reported the damage about 2 a.m.
Judging by a scrape in the buckled pavement, at least one other motorist discovered the trouble spot during the night.
Work on the train tracks underneath the bridge probably caused the damage, Nadeau said. There is no reason to believe the passage of a freight train during the night contributed to the problem, he said.
"It stands to reason the construction activity contributed to whatever happened," Nadeau said. "It doesn't appear any train traffic per se was specifically responsible."
Because of security concerns, Downeaster service between Portland and Boston had already been suspended for the week of the Democratic convention. Officials at the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority chose to use the time to undertake a $900,000 improvement on a quarter-mile section of track in Kennebunk.
Trains must slow to 30 mph on the section, said Patricia Douglas of the rail authority, because the tracks lie on a foundation of clay. "It was squishy," Douglas said.
The soft base posed no safety hazard because trains negotiated it slowly, Douglas said. The aim of the week-long project is to excavate under the tracks to a depth of 7 feet and replace the mud with cement and sand for greater stability. With the repairs, the train should be able to increase its speed to 50 mph, she said.
The tracks were shifted aside while the work took place. Crews have been working on the tracks 12 hours a day, and freight trains continued to run during non-work hours, Douglas said.
The improvements were interrupted by the bridge damage, which occurred at the end closest to where the tracks were temporarily relocated, Douglas said.
Now the priority is to shore up the ground below the bridge and fix the bridge itself, said Nadeau, the MDOT spokesman. Initial indications suggested the bridge's concrete abutments and steel supports had not moved, he said.
Nadeau said it appears the damage occurred on the pavement at the edge of the bridge - which is asphalt on fill - rather than to pavement over the bridge structure.
Engineers were to continue working late into the night to determine what happened to the bridge, Nadeau said. Freight rail traffic should resume within a day, he said, but engineers would not be able to estimate until today how long it would take to fix the bridge for vehicles.
Most tourists and owners of tourist-related businesses in Kennebunk and Kennebunkport seemed to take the inconvenience in stride Tuesday.
Many business-owners reported an average day in terms of customers, though some employees said they had a hard time getting to work on time.
Amelia Clukey of Kennebunk, who works in Sanford and at H.B. Provisions in Lower Village, said she was late for her morning job in Sanford.
"I had no idea what was going on," she said.
Dee Dee Condon, owner of Allison's Restaurant, said visitors seemed to find Kennebunkport, despite the road closure.
"I don't think it's impacted us," she said. At worst, deliveries to the restaurant were a little late because many of the drivers don't know the back roads, she said.
Mat Lanigan, a Kennebunkport selectman and owner of The Emporium gift store, said it was too early to tell how the closure will affect businesses.
The biggest concern for the two towns will be the effects on public safety vehicles such as police cars and ambulances. Officials from Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Arundel and Wells met Tuesday morning to work out a plan for responding to emergencies.
"Everybody is working together really well," Lanigan said.
The towns were packed with motorists who found their way even before detour signs were posted showing alternate routes from the east and west on Route 9. Both routes are about 4 miles longer than the usual trip on Route 35.
Staff Writer Jen Fish contributed to this report.
Staff Writer Seth Harkness can be contacted at 282-8225 or at:
[email protected]
Overpass pavement slumps in the night
By SETH HARKNESS, Portland Press Herald Writer
Copyright © 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
E-mail this story to a friend
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADVERTISEMENT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff photo by Gregory Rec
Workers from the Maine Department of Transportation mark off measurements Tuesday near a depression in the pavement on the bridge over the Guilford Rail System tracks in Kennebunk. A Kennebunk Ambulance crew reported the 1-foot-deep crease about 2 a.m. Tuesday.
KENNEBUNK — A railroad overpass on the main road between Kennebunk and Kennebunkport was closed to traffic indefinitely Tuesday after repairs to the train tracks below apparently caused part of the Route 35 span to buckle during the night. Most tourists seemed to have little trouble finding alternate routes to the towns' waterside commercial centers. State transportation officials said they were assessing what happened, and could not estimate when the bridge would reopen. Nor could they say whether the suspension of passenger train service because of the Democratic National Convention in Boston would have to be extended beyond this week.
"Certainly it's a matter of days," Greg Nadeau, a Maine Department of Transportation spokesman, said of the timeline for fixing the bridge. "Whether that's two, three or a week, we just don't have any way of knowing."
About 20 orange-vested MDOT engineers surrounded the bridge Tuesday morning, searching for clues to why a 1-foot-deep crease appeared on its southern end. State officials closed the bridge shortly after a Kennebunk Ambulance crew reported the damage about 2 a.m.
Judging by a scrape in the buckled pavement, at least one other motorist discovered the trouble spot during the night.
Work on the train tracks underneath the bridge probably caused the damage, Nadeau said. There is no reason to believe the passage of a freight train during the night contributed to the problem, he said.
"It stands to reason the construction activity contributed to whatever happened," Nadeau said. "It doesn't appear any train traffic per se was specifically responsible."
Because of security concerns, Downeaster service between Portland and Boston had already been suspended for the week of the Democratic convention. Officials at the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority chose to use the time to undertake a $900,000 improvement on a quarter-mile section of track in Kennebunk.
Trains must slow to 30 mph on the section, said Patricia Douglas of the rail authority, because the tracks lie on a foundation of clay. "It was squishy," Douglas said.
The soft base posed no safety hazard because trains negotiated it slowly, Douglas said. The aim of the week-long project is to excavate under the tracks to a depth of 7 feet and replace the mud with cement and sand for greater stability. With the repairs, the train should be able to increase its speed to 50 mph, she said.
The tracks were shifted aside while the work took place. Crews have been working on the tracks 12 hours a day, and freight trains continued to run during non-work hours, Douglas said.
The improvements were interrupted by the bridge damage, which occurred at the end closest to where the tracks were temporarily relocated, Douglas said.
Now the priority is to shore up the ground below the bridge and fix the bridge itself, said Nadeau, the MDOT spokesman. Initial indications suggested the bridge's concrete abutments and steel supports had not moved, he said.
Nadeau said it appears the damage occurred on the pavement at the edge of the bridge - which is asphalt on fill - rather than to pavement over the bridge structure.
Engineers were to continue working late into the night to determine what happened to the bridge, Nadeau said. Freight rail traffic should resume within a day, he said, but engineers would not be able to estimate until today how long it would take to fix the bridge for vehicles.
Most tourists and owners of tourist-related businesses in Kennebunk and Kennebunkport seemed to take the inconvenience in stride Tuesday.
Many business-owners reported an average day in terms of customers, though some employees said they had a hard time getting to work on time.
Amelia Clukey of Kennebunk, who works in Sanford and at H.B. Provisions in Lower Village, said she was late for her morning job in Sanford.
"I had no idea what was going on," she said.
Dee Dee Condon, owner of Allison's Restaurant, said visitors seemed to find Kennebunkport, despite the road closure.
"I don't think it's impacted us," she said. At worst, deliveries to the restaurant were a little late because many of the drivers don't know the back roads, she said.
Mat Lanigan, a Kennebunkport selectman and owner of The Emporium gift store, said it was too early to tell how the closure will affect businesses.
The biggest concern for the two towns will be the effects on public safety vehicles such as police cars and ambulances. Officials from Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Arundel and Wells met Tuesday morning to work out a plan for responding to emergencies.
"Everybody is working together really well," Lanigan said.
The towns were packed with motorists who found their way even before detour signs were posted showing alternate routes from the east and west on Route 9. Both routes are about 4 miles longer than the usual trip on Route 35.
Staff Writer Jen Fish contributed to this report.
Staff Writer Seth Harkness can be contacted at 282-8225 or at:
[email protected]
