While long-time residents usually just roll their eyes when the Bridge to Nowhere comes up in conversation, three-year resident and Source reader Gunnar Watson wanted to know why that bridge is still sitting there without connecting roads while traffic continues to back up at the intersection of Routes 30 and 32 on St. Thomas.
Alas, the bridge and two other associated projects aren’t on tap to alleviate traffic but rather to help with flooding from Turpentine Run gut. During heavy rains, the water from the gut floods the nearby Nadir housing community.
“The bridge was built first to allow for the gut to be moved away from the homes,” according to Wystan Benjamin, the federal aid program manager at the Public Works Department.
Benjamin said he doesn’t know when the gut will be moved because that part of the project will be paid for with local funds. He referred questions on that aspect of the project to Public Works Commissioner Darryl Smalls, who could not be reached for comment.
However, there is some activity on the approach roads to the Bridge to Nowhere.
Benjamin said the Bridge to Nowhere was built in 1997 and 1998 but the local government needed to buy the land needed for the approach roads. There were no problems with the purchase of land once occupied by Nadir Superette but Benjamin said buying the land where Nadir Esso once operated was fraught with problems.
“Environmental reports cited contamination from the gas tanks,” Benjamin said.
That called for remediation, which Benjamin said had to be worked out through an agreement with the land owner, the gas station owner, the Planning and Natural Resources Department, the Justice Department, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Public Works.
“That alone took some time,” Benjamin said.
The remediation was done by removing the fuel tanks and the contaminated soil. Fortunately, the contaminants hadn’t reached the aquifer because that kind of cleanup takes many, many years, Benjamin said.
Benjamin didn’t have exact dates but said the remediation work was finished within the last five years.
However, since it was so long since the plans for the project were drawn, they had to be updated to newer standards. As if the whole matter wasn’t complicated enough, the consultant hired to do the plans, URS Consultants, was bought out by other companies several times. Benjamin said each time that happened, the company name changed slightly. This required a new business license from Licensing and Consumer Affairs.
According to Benjamin, URS Consultants is currently working on its business license.
He said the project will need a Coastal Zone Management permit, but he expects that part of the process to begin happening around the end of 2013.
“I’m not sure how long it will take to build it but 18 months at least,” he said.
