Rebuilding of a 3.7-mi. (5.9 km) section of a highway in southern Vermont has resulted in the mitigation of a 10-acre (4 ha) wetlands site, requiring that all the equipment used on those 10 acres be pressure-washed and free of mud, grease or leaks. “We can’t introduce any non-native or new species of plants or insects to the new wetlands area,” said Mark Mackintosh, civil engineer for the state of Vermont. “We will be putting in over 15,000 species of plants when it’s completed.” The project is on Route 9 between Searsburg and Wilmington, VT, approximately 60 mi. south of Rutland and just east of Bennington, VT. The $21-million project consists of straightening the highway and adding a 12-ft. (3.6 m) shoulder. It will include three new bridges over the Deerfield River. “It’s difficult to get funding to rebuild a highway in Vermont,” said Mackintosh. “Normally we just pave over the old road.” The 3.7-mi. stretch has long been a dangerous area because it only has two lanes and virtually no shoulder. Because the road was winding and narrow, there was an overturn of a tractor/trailer about every six months, and a fatal accident every two years. “We are extremely pleased to begin construction on this reconstruction project to improve this section of Route 9,” Vermont Transportation Secretary Brian R. Searles said in announcing the project in May. The new 10-acre wetlands site is being developed from an old gravel pit north of the highway reconstruction site. It will be complete with turtle ponds and nesting areas for indigenous wildlife. The 15,000 plants cannot be introduced to the wetlands before it is completed, to assure their survival. Because of that, all the equipment must be completely clean of any debris before it is used. The contractor on the job is J.A. McDonald of Lyndon Center, VT. Equipment used at the site include three Cat 330 excavators; one Cat 325 excavator; one Cat 322 excavator; five Cat B350 dump trucks; a Cat D6R and D9 bulldozer; two vibratory compactors; one Cat 416 backhoe with multiple attachments; one 6G motorgrader; three 100-ton (90 t) Link-Belt cranes; three John Deere 550 H bulldozers; a Thunderbird primary jaw crusher; a 103,000-lb. (46,720 kg) cassion drill rig; a 415 Ice vibratory hammer; a Pioneer secondary cone crusher; and a Cat 980G and 936 loader. Completion is expected in June 2004. “This is one of the largest projects handled by the Vermont Agency of Transportation since completion of Interstate 91 in northern Vermont over 15 years ago,” Mackintosh said. The project includes, in part, removal of 89,200 cu. yds. (68,198 cu m) of solid rock and 239,272 cu. yds. (182,936 cu m) of common excavation; installation of 8,189 cu. yds. (6,261 cu m) of concrete, 1.25 million lbs. (566,990 kg) of structural steel and 1 million lbs. (453,592 kg) of reinforcing steel, and three multispan curved girder bridges. The Agency of Transportation began design for this project in the early 80s.This story also appears on Construction Equipment Guide.
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