The state DEEP and the Army Corps Engineers have come back with conditions for a temporary replacement of the South Norfolk bridge at Smith Road, but First Selectman Matt Riiska told his board Wednesday, “I don’t know where it is going, I really don’t know.”
He said he has met with the DOT, but that by the time he gets an answer from the two agencies about putting in the temporary span, the DOT may be ready to start permanent replacement of the bridge, which is on the state calendar for 2026 or 2027.
The Smith and Old Goshen bridges were swept away in a July 2023 flash flood and South Norfolk residents, who have been cut off from direct access from Route 272 for 14 months, have lobbied for a temporary bridge. They worry about their safety as the only emergency access to their homes is over a long detour and difficult span of road.
Riiska said the town is ready to go if the two agencies sign off on the temporary structure.
In other business, Riiska told his board that attorneys for the town are still compiling a list of expenses on Maple Avenue related to the November 2022 gas spill. He estimates that $752,000 was spent to clean up the saturated soils and to rebuild the infrastructure after the spill. The attorneys for the insurance company representing the trucking firm responsible for the spill have been notified of the impending claims.