Arrigoni Project Progressing Well

The Arrigoni Bridge project is going smoothly and according to plan, with few bumps in the road in terms of traffic snarls or congestion, state and local officials reported Friday.

“So far, so good,” said Larry McHugh, president of the Greater Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, which hosts a monthly meeting on the ongoing bridge reconstruction work.

Craig Albert, an inspector with the state’s Department of Transportation, gave a brief overview of the work that’s been done on the bridge so far. The DOT is replacing, in stages, the bridge’s metal decking for the first time since the Arrigoni was built in 1938.

Albert said workers have removed a 90-foot section of the bridge’s deck, as well as an 800-foot section of the handrail and an 1,100-foot section of the span’s sidewalk. As part of the project all the handrails and sidewalks on the bridge are also being repaired or replaced. Albert said the construction company overseeing the work expects a new 90-foot replacement deck section to be delivered in about two weeks.

When that happens, said Kenneth E. Fargnoli, the DOT engineer overseeing the project, work on the bridge will begin during overnight hours as well as during the day.

Local police and town officials said they are impressed with the way the project is progressing and are pleased that it has so far resulted in no major traffic incidents.

Middletown Mayor Sebastian Giuliani said he believes media advisories and DOT signs alerting motorists to the work and possible traffic tie-ups has helped ease congestion on the Arrigoni. But he and others questioned whether that might change when school goes back into session at the end of this month.

“We’ll see how things go with traffic in September, but so far there’s been nothing major that I can see,” Giuliani said.

“I think September is going to be a test for both sides of the bridge,” added Middletown Police Chief Patrick McMahon.

Portland First Selectwoman Susan Bransfield said communications between the DOT, the towns and businesses has been excellent and has helped ease tensions regarding the bridge project.

“Just keep up the good work,” she said.