There was good news this week for South Norfolk residents frustrated by a year-long wait for direct access to Route 272 after two bridges in their neighborhood were washed out in a July 2023 flash flood. First Selectman Matt Riiska said Wednesday that he hopes to start installation of a temporary bridge on Smith Road by the end of August.
Riiska recently met with South Norfolk residents and the issue was again discussed in a DOT informational webinar Monday night. During all the meetings residents insisted that installing a temporary bridge is “imperative,” because the long, difficult detour to reach their homes prevents quick response in an emergency.
The DOT had prioritized construction of a permanent replacement for Smith Road bridge, but that project could not be finished under the best of conditions until 2026.
The town originally said it would not install a temporary structure, having received an early estimate of $440,000. Riiska has since worked with two contractors to develop alternate plans but said he does not yet have a dollar figure. The temporary bridge will be on the Board of Finance agenda next Tuesday.
“I understand their concerns and am trying to resolve this,” he told his selectmen Wednesday. “It’s possible the bridge will be replaced with something similar to what was taken out in the flood. It will look like it, but it will still only be temporary.”
Meanwhile, during its Zoom informational meeting, DOT engineers fielded questions from citizens and discussed the process of replacing the Smith Road and Old Goshen Road bridges. They are trying to pivot their plans to replace the Old Goshen Road bridge first, leaving Smith Road for the temporary structure as its terrain is better suited to that.
Project manager Marc Byrnes said the state has taken over design and construction of the permanent bridges and is expediting the project to reduce the inconvenience for residents. It is hoped the design phase can be shortened from 60 months to 24, with work to start in spring 2026 and be finished at the end of that construction season. The timeframe will be affected, however, by how soon rights-of-way changes can be negotiated and permits obtained.
Work also started on River Place bridge this week. Construction there has been stalled since November 2022 after it was discovered that one headwall did not rest on a firm foundation. Because of the necessary redesign and the prolonged delay there will be additional costs for the project and a town meeting may be needed to approve more funding.
Work is complete on Maple Avenue except for touch-ups, according to Riiska, who said he is working with the town attorney to recover the “sizeable amount of money” expended to clean up the disastrous 8,200-gallon gas spill of November 2022. The long-planned municipal upgrade of the road had to be put on hold until after the cleanup.