To date, First Selectman Matt Riiska has no clearance to replace the Smith Road bridge with a temporary span, but he continues to meet with state officials to discuss the permanent replacement of two bridges in South Norfolk washed out in July 2023.
“I still need to fill out more forms,” he told his board Wednesday night. “Every day it is looking up something else and filling out another form.”
Residents of South Norfolk, who have petitioned for the temporary span to allow easier access to Route 272, were hopeful that progress was being made this week when a group of state Department of Transportation workers was seen near the washouts, but Riiska said they were discussing the permanent replacements.
An online public information meeting about the Old Goshen Road bridge will be held by the DOT on January 21. A similar meeting on Smith Road was held in August.
As for the temporary structure, Riiska was equivocal. He said construction—once he gets approval from DEEP and the Army Corps of Engineers—depends on winter weather and the will of townspeople. He does not have the authority to expend more than $100,000 on his own.
“I’ve talked to the Board of Finance,” he said. “If it says we can take the funds out of capital reserve, we would need a town meeting to approve it. I’m not the decision maker on it.”