Not Pearl, Railroad Street
by Ben Hogwood

Unfortunately, the Pearl Street Bridge in Johnson has not been funded
for replacement in the 2005 fiscal year, as was noted last week in late
breaking news on page three in this newspaper. When it was first known
that one Johnson bridge was to be replaced there was some confusion
about Agency of Transportation project numbers among officials as to
which bridge was now on the schedule.
Actually, it is the Railroad Street Bridge that will be the first in the
town to be replaced.
While the Railroad Street Bridge scored lower on a safety sufficiency
rating [more deficient], the Pearl Street Bridge, which is more visible,
is the more unsightly of the two.
"We're all disappointed," said Duncan Hastings, Johnson town and village
administrator.
The confusion began after Vermont Secretary of Transportation Patricia
McDonald released a list of projects the agency had prioritized for
funding. On that list was project 1448. However, both the Railroad
Street and Pearl Street bridges have the same overall project number.
Making the matter more confusing, the Railroad Street Bridge project was
previously on the prioritized list for replacement. The Railroad Street
Bridge was a "shelf ready" project, said Hastings, meaning all the
engineering had been completed, the funding was secure and it was ready
to go out to bid as early as this fall. Unfortunately, it had been taken
off the list, and then put back on.
"It's still good news," said Hastings of the Railroad Street Bridge's
replacement.
Johnson Selectboard Chair Eric Osgood said this project has been in the
works for approximately 15 years. A temporary bridge will be placed
downstream and two way traffic will be maintained, he said.
Osgood said he was a little disappointed that it wasn't the Pearl Steet
Bridge that was getting funded, but he remained optimistic. "At least
one bridge is getting replaced," he said.
The projects on the list released by McDonald all benefitted from the
money not being used on the Circumferential Highway Project.