A shadow of doubt was cast this week over the possibility of quickly constructing a temporary bridge on Smith Road to replace a span swept away in a 2023 flash flood.
Ironically, it was more flash flooding—this time in southern Connecticut—that put Norfolk’s plan in limbo. First Selectman Matt Riiska hoped that DEEP and the Army Corps of Engineers would give speedy approval for the town to construct a temporary bridge to provide South Norfolk residents with direct access to Route 272. But state and federal agencies were consumed this week with the disastrous flooding in Monroe, Seymour, Southbury, Newtown and Naugatuck.
“I have had a discussion with DEEP and the Army Corps of Engineers,” he said. “I had hoped they would just let me put in the same kind of bridge that was there before. One of the guys, who lives in Newtown, said there is a lot of work to do there. They have whole areas where people can’t get out. I sympathize, but it’s also important to put in a temporary bridge in South Norfolk.”