2018 Update #13
Storyboards Now Online, Building Inspections Wrap Up, Looking Ahead
After I announced earlier this week that we had installed two project storyboards in front of the Post Office, a reader reminded me that not everyone can get downtown. So you can now view both storyboards online at the following links.
Building Inspections Wrap Up
As the week draws to a close, Kubricky and subcontractor Geocomp are completing pre-construction inspections of the downtown buildings that are immediately adjacent to Printer’s Alley. As I mentioned in a previous post, these are the buildings that, based on an analysis of the potential impacts of vibration, should be monitored during construction.
Those who were in town Thursday morning saw Kubricky placing small monitoring devices high up on the National Bank and other area buildings. These devices, known as “displacement monitoring points,” as well as seismographs placed in each building’s basement, will monitor the vertical and horizontal movement of those buildings as construction begins on the new drainage system. You can see one of the displacement monitoring devices in place on the far upper left of the Duclos Building in the photo below.
Data from these devices is monitored in real time. If established thresholds of vibration are exceeded, work stops until Kubricky and VTrans can evaluate the area of concern and determine corrective action.
Similar devices have been set into the railbed to monitor track movement to ensure continued safety of the railroad.
Finally on Thursday, as planned, GMP placed the new utility pole on Merchants Row (see photo).
A Look At Next Week
Next week Kubricky will set up a Project Demarcation Fence (a different kind of PDF). Consisting of 4-inch-wide orange tape and stakes, the PDF marks the boundaries of the project and will include work areas in Printer’s Alley, Triangle Park, Riverfront Park in the Marble Works, and along Otter Creek north of Cross Street Bridge.
Kubricky will also install silt fences to prevent sediment from entering the waterway throughout the duration of the project. This is important, for example, along the temporary access road to be built just above Otter Creek in Riverfront Park.
Kubricky will also install what is known as a “turbidity curtain” (think of it as a floating canvas curtain) in Otter Creek to contain any contaminants that may enter the river.
Finally, Kubricky will begin mobilizing equipment into its staging area on Exchange Street north of Vermont Sun.
That’s all for today. See you downtown.
Please keep your comments and questions coming. Send me an email at jgish@townofmiddlebury.org and I’ll try to cover it in my next update.