Road issues again captured the attention of the Board of Selectmen Wednesday when resident Bart Wenrich questioned the board about progress on building a temporary bridge on Smith Road.
The bridge would replace one swept away by flash floods in July 2023 while the DOT plans a permanent replacement.
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is “in the final stage of approval” for the temporary structure, according to First Selectman Matt Riiska. “I told them this is not a matter of convenience for residents, it’s a safety issue,” he told Wenrich.
He later said he is “pretty hopeful” that the issue will be resolved soon.
Meanwhile, the DOT is about a third of the way through a multi-year project to replace a large retaining wall on Route 44. Motorists too impatient to sit through the traffic light controlling alternating traffic there have been using Old Colony Road as a bypass.
The town’s Department of Public Works is located on Old Colony, a narrow town road, and “it is very dangerous for the town’s workers when cars are flying by,” Riiska said. “We have thought about making it a dead-end, but we have to talk to the fire department and emergency services.”
He said the situation will worsen as construction activity increases at Haystack Woods, located off Old Colony, where 10 affordable homes are being built. “It’s going to get congested,” he concluded.