First Selectman Henry Tirrell this week offered updates on several infrastructure projects underway or to be undertaken in Norfolk.
He said the Mountain Road bridge replacement is nearing an end. “They are waiting for the brackets for the Aquarion water main line, which will be suspended from the side of the bridge,” Tirrell said. “The brackets need to be cleared by the project engineer. If weren’t for the brackets, the bridge would be complete this month, but now we expect to finish by October.”
He reported that the town will package bids on the two bridges in South Norfolk that were wiped out in flash floods in 2023 as one project. The bids will be let this fall.
The Old Goshen Road bridge restoration will begin April 1, 2027, with the Smith Road bridge to follow on April 1, 2028. “We will have one contractor for two years of consistent work,” he explained. “The town will issue the bid, but the project will be managed and paid for by the state and federal governments.”
The town crew has cleared the blockage at the Wood Creek flood control dam that has been backed up since winter, Tirrell said. “We finally got it cleared. There’s been a bunch of water in the Blackberry River and a definite odor, but the water level is down dramatically now and the smell should decrease.”
Finally, the public works department is getting ready to work on Laurel Way Extension and the sidewalk between the Berkshire Country Store and the post office. The sidewalk work will probably start on August 17.