From Two Bridges to One Tunnel

From Two Bridges to One Tunnel. . , Prior to 2020, standing here at Merchants Row looking north, you would have seen the railroad trench constructed in 1849 for the Rutland and Burlington Railroad. This trench cut through the western portion of the Village Green, creating the separate triangular piece of land that would become known as "Triangle Park.", In Summer 2020, the Vermont Agency of Transportation and the Town of Middlebury together accomplished one of the most complex projects in the state's history. While Vermont Rail's daily freight trains were detoured up the eastern side of the state and much of the town was shut down during the Covid pandemic, a new rail tunnel was constructed in the heart of Middlebury and much of its downtown infrastructure revitalized., Replacing the Main Street and Merchants Row bridges with a rail tunnel restored Middlebury's Village Green to its original dimensions, adding some 9,000 square feet of connected green space for recreational use in the center of town. Among the many other project benefits are improved rail safety, a cleaner environment along Otter Creek, improved stormwater management, undergrounded utilities, new water and sewer lines, and Amtrak service to New York's Penn Station., The Middlebury Bridge and Rail Project, funded largely by the Federal Highway Administration and managed by the Vermont Agency of Transportation, set a new standard for community engagement and municipal partnership as the Agency worked closely with Town officials and with Neighbors Together, a volunteer group representing local stakeholders. Project design and environmental assessment and compliance was led by VHB, with Kubricky Construction Corporation/DA Collins operating as the Construction Manager/General Contractor., The new rail tunnel is approximately 350' long, constructed of 422 pieces of precast concrete U-walls that are bolted together and sealed to keep water out of the tunnel. The average tunnel piece weighs about 40 tons. In the photograph at the far left, a 200-ton crane is lowering a U-wall into place to form the floor and sides of the rail tunnel. Precast U-walls were selected for construction for speed and efficiency. The U-walls were delivered to the site on flatbed trucks., ( photo captions ) , Top: Looking north along the railroad trench toward Main Street, 1939. This photo is captured from the approximate same location in which you are standing, facing the same direction. , Collection of the Henry Sheldon Museum, Middlebury, Vermont, Bottom: 1963 photograph, looking southbound from the Main Street bridge towards the Merchants Row bridge. Note the thinness of the bridge deck, which is accommodated by the use of concrete-encased steel rails. , Poulin Collection, Middlebury College Special Collection, (lower left) , Looking northbound at Merchants Row bridge (foreground) and Main Street bridge (background). The concrete pier supporting the end of he short approach span (from left) and the main span can be seen just left of the track. The ashlar blocks that lined the railroad trench, many of which have been reused as seating and retaining walls in Triangle Park and Lazarus Park, are visible in this photograph. , Poulin Collection, Middlebury College Special Collection, (upper right) , View from Merchants Row in June 2020, during construction of the tunnel., (lower right) , View looking north along the rail corridor between Merchants Row and Main Street in July 2020. Construction of the rail tunnel is nearing completion., This project was made possible by: , Federal Highway Administration , State of Vermont , Town of Middlebury , VHB (engineering/design firm) , Kubricky Construction (prime/lead contractor) , Engineers Construction, Inc. (support contractor)