The new County Route 113 Bridge over the Batten Kill River between the Towns of Greenwich and Easton, New York opened to traffic in December, 2019 after seven months of construction.

The new structure, called the Clarks Mills Bridge, emulates the original bridge that spans the Batten Kill. The three-span concrete arch was constructed from 84 precast units, with the heaviest piece weighing in at 54,000 lbs.

Located just two miles from The Fort Miller Co., Inc. manufacturing facility, the precast components were cast in a few short months and delivered to the job site in August of 2019, according to Joshua French, Vice President of Sales and Estimating, The Fort Miller Co., Inc.

Not just the design, but the façade as well relates to the original structure. The Fort Miller Co. utilized a large stone dry stack formliner to replicate an older rock pattern typical of the region. After the precast concrete headwalls were installed, they were stained to match a natural stone color.

The Fort Miller Co. worked closely with Kubricky Construction who served as the general contractor and was responsible for setting the precast units. In total, the 300-foot precast concrete bridge cost $4.3 million to build. About 80% of the costs were federally funded and about 20% came from the state.

Greenman-Pedersen designed the bridge which has a clear span of 88-feet for each arch. With less than 1,000 vehicles using the bridge daily the original bridge was closed to traffic in May 2019.

No bridge is easy to replace and this was a challenge for a factory located on the riverbank. The Route 113 Bridge is situated next to Hollingsworth & Vose (H&V) which needed to keep operating 24/7. The factory uses water power from the Batten Kill and natural gas when needed. Employees walk across the bridge every day from the manufacturing plant on the south side to the research and development building on the north.  H&V needed the bridge for crucial deliveries to keep the factory running.

Access to H&V was maintained during construction to allow for material deliveries. The contractor had to keep water flowing during the project Workers built a combination of cofferdams and causeways to create dry areas to work, while not stopping the low flow of the river.

Precast concrete was a good fit to replace the 103 year old structure quickly and efficiently while keeping its historic nature intact.