Replacing a defunct bridge over Pollack Brook in Cape Elizabeth would open up new trail sections in the area of the Spurwink Marsh and would also provide safe and easy pedestrian passage across the brook, according to a report submitted to the town’s Conservation Commission.
The commission was set to discuss the report, provided by Sebago Technics, at a meeting on Tuesday, after the Current’s print deadline.
Sebago Technics outlines various options for the bridge project, but supported the idea of an elevated walkway that would better protect the structure from the often harsh marine environment.
The former bridge, which Sebago Technics described as more of a boardwalk, was 51 feet long with the ends sitting on the banks of the brook. An elevated bridge, the engineering company said, would be anchored to the marsh bed and include support beams instead.
The former bridge, the engineers said, was subject to being moved by tidal conditions and substantial rainstorms, which is why the company is recommending a more “long-lasting and economically viable” option that would consist of aluminum post supports with a composite material tread system, instead of a wooden walkway.
“The advantages of this approach,” according to Sebago Technics, “is the relative ease of installation with metal support posts being driven into the marsh.”
The walkway, rails and other equipment would be built onto the posts and extended over the marsh.
This approach would also have “a relatively minimal wetland impact as only the post supports are impacting the wetland and disrupt very little soil,” the report added.
An elevated bridge would also provide the town with the option of spanning the entire Spurwink Marsh and Pollack Brook with a single structure that would not physically impact the marsh and that would negate the need for federal permitting of the crossing, Sebago Technics said.
The issue is that an elevated structure would cost significantly more than a simple boardwalk. The cost of a boardwalk would be about $27,800. Elevated bridge options come in at $50,550 for an extensive bridge or $38,000 for what the engineers call a “gangway-style pedestrian bridge.”
In its report, Sebago Technics said that, “While Option 1 would appear to be the most financially attractive option, this option has significant disadvantages as (the bridge) would be placed in a very challenging environment directly within the marsh as opposed to being elevated above the marsh.”
The company added, “Options 2 and 3 offer a more protected location from the marine environment, which should correlate to a longer lifespan and less maintenance costs over the duration of its use.”
The Pollack Brook Trail starts at an existing trail head off Spurwink Avenue and follows a footpath, which makes a sharp turn to the south and which in the past has gone over Pollack Brook, according to the Sebago Technics report.
Due to the poor condition of the former boardwalk, most of it was removed in late 2015, with the remnants removed this past spring.
Once on the south side of the brook, an informal trail traverses near the Riverside Cemetery and leads to a viewpoint across from the Scarborough side of the Spurwink River, where the town has built a pier providing boat access to the river, the report said.
The idea behind replacing the Pollack Brook bridge would be to open up that trail system to the public, according to Sebago Technics.
This week Maureen O’Meara, the Cape Elizabeth town planner, said the Conservation Commission would discuss all aspects of the Sebago Technics report at its meeting this week.
“The commission has not had a substantive discussion on the report yet” and the idea behind Tuesday’s session is to talk about whether to move ahead with the bridge replacement project and if so, what option to pursue and when, O’Meara said.
She also said that replacing the bridge would provide “multiple access points” to the marsh from the Town Farm trail system.
While putting up a new bride over Pollack Brook would be a town project, Cindy Krum, executive director of the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust, said this week her group is “absolutely in support” of the idea.
“This is a great location for a trail and we are really excited about the possibility of this project,” she said.
In addition, Krum said, replacing the bridge could also better connect pedestrians to the trail system at the land trust’s Runaway Farm property, which is located almost directly across Spurwink Avenue from the Pollack Brook trail head.
Putting a new bridge over Pollack Brook in Cape Elizabeth could open up public access to new trails. A remnant of the former 51-foot boardwalk can be seen on the bottom right.
A view of Pollack Brook in Cape Elizabeth.
A view of the Spurwink Marsh from the Town Farm Trail.
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