Community Corner

Darien Officials Shocked at Norwalk's Plans to Revamp Bridge and Split Bill

Norwalk officials budget for the demolition and rebuild of Old Tokeneke Bridge, assuming Darien has done the same.

News out of Norwalk that the demolition and reconstruction of the Old Tokeneke Bridge is set to take place this year has taken Darien officials by surprise, and it's not just the project's schedule that caused eyebrows to raise. According to Norwalk officials, Darien has agreed to foot half the bill.

"That's news to me," said First Selectman Dave Campbell, in his report to the Board of Selectmen, April 19.  "The whole thing is Norwalk driven, and I believe it's still a moving target."

Plans to reconstruct Old Tokeneke Bridge have long been in the works. The footbridge that stretches the Darien, Rowayton town line on Route 136 was first built in 1912 and has been closed to vehicular traffic since the state Department of Transportation realigned the roads many years ago. Concrete continues to crumble, posing a safety hazard to both the pedestrians who ignore the barricades to cross the bridge, and to the kayakers below who travel the Five Mile River on a regular basis.

When the reconstruction was first proposed a few years back, demolition costs alone topped $600,000, said Campbell. The price of entire project circa 2010 is about $280,000, which includes $200,000 for demolition and $80,000 for a rebuild.

According to Robert Koch's April 17 report in the Norwalk Hour, Norwalk officials have included $140,000 in the city's 2010-11 capital budget to fund half of the infrastructure project, assuming Darien has agreed, "in writing," to follow suit.

They haven't.

"I almost had a heart attack when I read it," said Lorene Bora of the Board of Finance. "I was looking through the budget saying: 140 grand, 140 grand, it's not here!"

Town Administrative Officer Karl Kilduff said that at this point, for Darien to fund any part of the project this year, a special appropriation would have to pass through the Board of Selectmen, the Board of Finance and the Representative Town Meeting.

"Perhaps you should tell them that when we have an extra 140 grand lying around, we'll give them a call," said Selectman David Bayne.

Campbell said there's no denying that the bridge is dangerous, and he's asked Director of Public Works Bob Steeger to meet with Norwalk officials to discuss the matter.

According to Steeger, Norwalk has yet to conduct a "serious study" of the bridge and that the reconstruction of the bridge won't take shape for a few years.

"We're going to meet with them and figure out what the heck is going on. There really is no information at this point, just numbers."

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