proved difficult because rock elevation and slope differed along the route. To secure the piers, teeth were welded to the tip of 20-in-diameter pile shells that were then drilled into the bedrock. For some piles, an adequate seal was not achieved until the pile had been seated into 5 ft. of bedrock. Oblique railroad crossing controversy Recent controversy has erupted over the danger posed to area cyclists by the railroad tracks on the eastern approach to the bridge. Because the tracks cross Route 1 at an oblique angle, bicycle tires are frequently ensnared in the gap (known as a "flangeway") between the steel rails and the surrounding rail bed material. New Haven has one of the most active bicycling communities in New England. For cyclists traveling to and from New Haven along the coast from points east, the Tomlinson Bridge is the only direct crossing available. In fact, the road is designated as the State of Connecticut's primary recommended "cross state" bicycling route, and as a city bicycle route by the New Haven City Plan office,. Several bicycle injuries have been documented at this crossing. Local bicycle advocates, including members of ElmCityCycling, have urged city and Connecticut Department of Transportation officials to take action to prevent further injuries at the crossing. To date, signs have been posted warning cyclists of the crossing, but injuries persist. Cyclists have commented on the limited visibility of the signs. Two approaches to reducing bicycle falls are 1) routing of cyclists via a bicycle lane so that they intersect the tracks at a 90-degree angle and 2) installation of rubberized flange fillers between the rails and surrounding rail bed material which compress under the wheels of the train. The latter remedy is prescribed in the ConnDOT Bicycle Design Manual: On low-speed, lightly traveled railroad tracks, commercially available flange way fillers can eliminate the gap next to the rail. The filler normally fills the gap between the inside railbed and the rail. When a train wheel rolls over it, the flange way filler compresses. This solution, however, is not acceptable for high-speed rail lines, as the filler will not compress fast enough and the train may derail. Despite this ConnDOT recommendation and the fact that Providence and Worcester trains cross Route 1 infrequently and at very low speeds, in an October 2009 working group between city, state, and railroad officials, the railroad rejected the use of