WARWICK — Following the unexpected closure of the Gale Road bridge, Warwick Highway Superintendent Larry Delaney hopes to replace the structure with help from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Small Bridge Program.
According to Delaney, the bridge was closed to traffic Friday, Oct. 7, following an unsatisfactory Massachusetts Department of Transportation inspection Thursday that found the bridge had “sufficient problems.”
“The supports and the abutments are a concern,” Town Coordinator David Young said. “If it were just the stringers, and the abutments were not of concern, we’d probably be able to make repairs.”
“The Gale Road bridge is my highest priority for repair,” Delaney said. “The bridge being out is a real inconvenience for the residents. The people that live on the south side of the bridge have about four miles extra to drive to get into town, and the resident that lives on the north side of the bridge has about four additional miles to drive if the y are heading into the neighboring town.”
Delaney said the bridge closure affects six residents in particular and could be closed as long as a year.
“The whole thing has got to be redone,” he said.
Hoping to receive funding to help repair the bridge, Delaney is working to apply for a grant through the Small Bridge Program.
The Small Bridge Program was signed into law Aug. 10 by Gov. Charlie Baker. The five-year, $50 million program provides up to $500,000 per year of reimbursable assistance to cities and towns to aid in the replacement and preservation of municipally-owned bridges that are between 10 and 20 feet in length. Such bridges are not eligible for federal aid under existing bridge replacement or rehabilitation programs, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s website.
Applications will be accepted three times per year: Oct. 31, Feb. 28 and June 30. While Delaney hopes to apply before the Oct. 31 deadline, he is gathering the necessary paperwork. An engineering firm is working to gather necessary information about the bridge, and Delaney said the Selectboard needs to write a letter outlining the bridge’s structural problems.
Delaney said he also needs to get a BRI number from the bridge inspector, an identification number for bridges between 10 and 20 feet in length. He does not have a timeline.
“(The engineer) is optimistic about the deadline if we can get the BRI number in time,” he said.
Delaney believes the bridge is a good candidate to receive the grant.
“I’ve been told that now that the bridge is closed, it’s a higher priority,” he said.
For now, Delaney has Gale Road marked with detour signs, and Town Administrator David Young contacted police dispatchers to give them the addresses of affected residents, in case of emergencies. Young said Orange Emergency Medical Services would be contacted to respond.
Should Delaney submit the application before Oct. 31, he expects to hear from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation in January concerning whether the Gale Road bridge is selected. He also said there are other small bridges in town that he’d like to submit for consideration after the Gale Road bridge project, but a town can only be approved for one project every 12 months.