The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-01-27
The New Bridge.

Bids for the construction Of the abutmentt
to the proposed new bridge over the Wi
nooski at the foot OF South Main street
which were advertised for by the city coun
Gil, were opened last Saturday afternoon in
the Office Of City Clerk Merrill in the pres
eDce Of the members Of city council Of Mont
pelier and the selectmen Of Berlin. Five
bids were received, namely, Cyrus Barton
Of Lowell, Mass, $16,603, which included
the removal Of the old bridge; A. w. Byrnes
Co., of Boston, $40, 055; Ward & Douglass
Barre, $27 ,615; Vermont Construction Com.
pany Of St. Adams, $35, 353 with an extra
charge of 500 by each Of the above named
companies for removal of the old bridge
the Granite Falls Granite Company, OF
Somersworth, N. H., 20,540, with $500, for
removing the present structure. All these
bids were rejected and at present it seems
uncertain when new bridge will be built
The members OF the city council and the
selectmen of Berlin may consider it best to
advertise for bids Of a less elaborate order,
although such action has not been decided
upon. 1t was thought that the bids for the
abutments should not exceed $4,000 and
the officials OF the two towns did not feel
warranted in awarding the contract at any
OF the figures named.
The abutments of the old bridge, which
have successfully withstood floods and ice
jams for some seventy years, are said to
have cost about 81 500. No one believes
for the support of the proposed bridge,
should cost within forty rows of apple
trees" OF the lowest bid the authorities
have received. The limit placed by the
officials, $4,000, ought to build the Sub
structures" and leave considerable sum
work in the propositions recently made?
Is it in the specifications, or in the bids?
Or is there sky scraping in both? What
would be the difference between the speci-
fications and estimates of some hard-headed
person, familiar by practical experience
with work of the kind required, and those
Of professional engineer and professional
construction company? Possibly the speci-
fications which seem exceedingly elabor-
ate for simple work OF the kind contem-
plated, have unduly impressed the contrac-
tors who have responded to the call for pro-
posals; and when the proposals range from
$4,000, the lowest bid, to $35 900, the high
est, for the same work, set out by specihca-
tions that are identical, it would seem to
indicate that there is considerable looseness
either in specifying or in figuring, or in both.
There seems to be degree of elaborate
ness about this preliminary work of specify
ing and estimating that would be better
suited to proposition to bridge East River
in New York than to the construction of a
bridge over small stream between two
country communities, The entire work,
abutments and bridge, ought not to cost a
sum very largely in excess OF the smallest
sum proposed for the abutments alone-and
it will not cost much more when the work
is brought within reasonable limits and the
"slack" is taken out of specifications and
estimates. The necessity for sidewalk on
each side of the bridge, as is planned, is not
clear. The great bulk of the foot travel
will naturally be over the easterly side.
Instead of one roadway thirty feet wide, as
is contemplated, two roadways, with a
proper division, not exceeding twelve feet
In width, would seem best to serve the con-
venience and safety of travel. In the old
bridge the roadways are ten and one-half
feet in the clear. Better shuttle the cards
again and have new deal