ATHOL — At a recent meeting of the Selectboard, Town Manager Shaun Suhoski reported that he and Public Works Director Dough Walsh had participated in a tour of local bridges organized by state Rep. Susannah Whipps. They were joined by officials from Orange, as well as a representative from the office of Gov. Charlie Baker and other state officials.
Work has already started on the replacement of the Exchange Street bridge. The cost of the replacement has been pegged at around $2.6 million. Funds for the project were provided by the passage of a debt exclusion, which also included funds to reconstruct a portion of the Pleasant Street sidewalk and the replacement of the roof at the public works building. It’s hoped that work will be completed by the end of the current construction season.
Suhoski told the board last Tuesday that Walsh had received a “very preliminary assessment and estimate” regarding the replacement of the Pinedale Avenue bridge spanning Tully Brook, which marks the border between Athol and Orange. He said Bayside Engineering of Woburn recommended complete replacement because repairs made to the bridge over the years are failing. Currently, steel plates cover the span, concealing large holes in the deck where rebar can be seen, and the rebar also appears to be deteriorating.
The Town Manager told selectboard members that engineering fees for the project could top $100,000 and that replacement of the bridge could run between $1.36 million and $1.6 million. The higher cost included replacement of the bridge’s abutments. If the abutments can be saved, work could likely be done for less.
Following last Monday’s bridge tour, Whipps told officials from Athol and Orange that she would like them to compile a list of priorities for funding bridge repairs – or replacements – in “the hope that a partnership can be formed with the state to assist with both planning and funding.
“Infrastructure is tough,” said Suhoski in a phone interview. “A lot of work has been delayed for a long time, in part because of the cost. But the longer things go without being fixed, the more expensive it is in the long run.”
Suhoski pointed to the Fryeville Road/Logan Hill Road bridge which also crosses Tully Brook between Athol and Orange.
“That’s another bridge that’s in pretty rough shape,” he said. “We don’t have any estimates on that one yet, but I’m going to assume it would cost about the same as Pinedale Ave.”
He also mentioned the Chestnut Hill Avenue/Route 32 bridges, one of which spans railroad tracks, the other which crosses the Millers River. Traffic is currently carried over two temporary spans that have been in place for a number of years.
“I’m not quite sure why it works this way,” he said, “but I’ve been informed the town is responsible for the one over the Millers River, while the state is responsible for the one over the railroad tracks. In either case, something needs to be done in the future to see that permanent structures are built. The temporary bridges have worked so far, but even they have a life-span that is only so long.”
“I really want to thank Rep. Whipps for putting together the tour,” said Suhoski. “I also want to thank the governor’s office and the DOT for sending representatives. I think, now, they have a better idea of just how serious the situation is.”
Suhoski said he hoped to put together a panel of local officials as soon as possible in order to draw up a priority list to present to Whipps and other state officials.
“We can only put things off for so long before, God forbid, something bad happens,” said Suhoski. “We can’t wait much longer to at least start getting things done.”