I am grateful to Transportation Secretary Sue Minter for coming to Middlebury to discuss the railroad bridge project, for her openness, and frankness, and willingness to listen to the concerns of the town. But I confess a continuing sense of unease as well.
What bothered me was the silence of all those present who have the most detailed knowledge of the project: the project managers, chief engineer and contractor. And yet it is just such knowledge that we all crave, indeed require, if we are to have the least confidence that this project can be done without doing serious harm to the downtown and consequently to us all.
Moreover, if the bridges are in imminent danger of collapse, why haven’t steps been taken to remedy that situation by propping them up and rerouting heavy traffic, or why hasn’t thought been given about how to do this, or if it has, why hasn’t the public been told? Perhaps these answers will be forthcoming when VTrans next visits the town at the selectboard meeting on August 11.
I hope also that serious consideration will have been given to the suggestion for a railroad bypass as a lasting solution to this problem.
Victor Nuovo
Middlebury