YARMOUTH — The Town Council on Thursday is expected to approve final plans for a $4.6 million Route 1 bridge over Main Street.

The council is scheduled to hold a special meeting Feb. 2 to approve a report and recommendation from the Bridge Advisory Committee. The recommendation includes the addition of almost $79,500 to the plan approved by the council last year.

The aging structure will be replaced with a three-span, cast-in-place flat-arch superstructure. The Town Council voted in December 2014 to keep the bridge after MDOT asked the town to consider what course of action to take.

Other options included removing the bridge and bringing Route 1 down to Main Street to create a four-way intersection.

The bridge will be narrowed to two lanes to slow traffic, and on the side facing the Log Cabin on Main Street there will be a 5-foot wide sidewalk and a 10-foot wide multi-use path.

The Bridge Advisory Committee is coming before the council again because members want to see additional elements added to the project. These include a section of sidewalk that would begin at the skating pond behind the Log Cabin and connect to the sidewalk in front of Clayton’s on Route 1. The 5-foot wide sidewalk would cost $15,000.

The committee also wants to add more lighting under the bridge. The enhancements, which would benefit people walking or driving under the bridge on Main Street, would cost $64,500. 

If the Town Council approves the additional $79,500, the town’s share of the project would increase from almost $242,000 to more than $321,000. The council plans to pay for the project using the town’s development fund instead of by raising taxes.

The rest of the $4.6 million project is being paid for by funds from MDOT and grants the town has received. 

According to MDOT’s Senior Project Manager Leanne Timberlake, MDOT is planning to put the project out to bid in March. Construction is expected to begin in July after the town’s annual clam festival, and will take over a year to complete, according to Town Manager Nat Tupper. 

Traffic delays will be kept to a minimum by only closing one lane of the bridge at a time during construction. The clearance underneath the bridge, which is 14 feet, 7 inches, will be reduced to 11 feet during construction, which means taller trucks will have to detour around the bridge. 

The new bridge will have a clearance of 15 feet 6 inches.

Kate Gardner can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 125 or kgardner@theforecaster.net. Follow her on Twitter: @katevgardner.

The replacement of Yarmouth’s aging Route 1 bridge over Main Street is expected to begin in July, after the annual Clam Festival.

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