CONCORD, Mass. – The Vermont Agency of Transportation, Program Development Division, is seeking a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District to conduct work in waters of the United States in conjunction with proposed bridge work in Bristol, Vermont.

The basic purpose of this proposed project is to replace two deficient transportation structures. The Vermont Agency of Transportation proposes to place fill material in the New Haven River, an unnamed tributary and adjacent wetlands in conjunction with the replacement, on a modified alignment, of two deficient bridges on Vermont Route 116 in Bristol.

The existing pony truss Bridge 8 (approximately a 100-foot span) will be replaced with a new two-span 361-foot steel girder bridge. Bridge 7, which spans an unnamed tributary 180 feet to the east of the New Haven River, will also be removed and this crossing will be incorporated into the second span of the new Bridge 8. The new elevation of Bridge 8 will be approximately 15 feet higher than the old bridge. Together with the additional span, the project will improve the hydraulic capacity during flood events. Traffic during construction will be detoured to a temporary bridge on the downstream side of the existing Bridge 8.

The proposed work will involve the temporary placement of fill material in about 19,480 square feet of scrub-shrub/emergent wetland and 5,440 square feet of stream bottom, and the permanent placement of fill material in about 16,544 square feet of scrub-shrub/emergent wetland and 4,675 square feet of stream bottom.

The application for the federal permit was filed with the Corps of Engineers in compliance with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which regulates the discharge or fill of material in U. S. waters, including wetlands. The public notice can be viewed on the Corps website at http://www.nae.usace.army.mil. Select Regulatory/Permitting and then weekly public notices.

Public comments on the Corps permit review (File # NAE-2010-1881) should be forwarded no later than Feb. 15, 2012 to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Vermont Project Office (ATTN: Marty Abair), 8 Carmichael Street, Suite 205, Essex Junction, Vermont 05452. Additional information is available from Corps’ Regulatory Division Permit Project Manager Marty Abair at 802-872-2903 or by email to martha.a.abair@usace.army.mil.