DEERFIELD — School bus routes in the Union 38 District will change starting Monday when Stillwater Bridge closes for emergency repairs.
After failing a state inspection Thursday because sediment around the bridge’s abutments has washed away, making it unstable, town officials said the bridge over the Deerfield River, connecting Upper Road to Stillwater Road, will close for at least a few months.
As a result, the town held an emergency meeting to discuss emergency contingency plans including expected transportation delays for public safety vehicles, snow plowing and school buses.
“In response to the Stillwater Bridge closing, the Frontier Regional and Union 38 transportation manager, Patti Cavanaugh, met with transportation partner Grybko, LLC to rework the routes that are impacted by the bridge closing,” Union 38 Superintendent Lynn Carey said in a statement Friday afternoon, noting that the bridge’s closure “will affect three routes at both Frontier Regional and Deerfield Elementary Schools.”
According to an information sheet released by the school district, “the D-1 bus will now be for students living on Upper and Lower Roads in West Deerfield only.” Students who live on Stillwater, Mill Village, Lee and Hillside Roads will now ride the D-3 bus, with some drop off times delayed.
Students on Beaver Drive, who ride the D-2 route, “will now be picked up approximately 25 minutes earlier,” at 7 a.m. instead of 7:25 a.m. Sugarloaf Street students as well as those on King Philip and Gromacki Avenues will be picked up by Sunderland buses.
Finally, come Monday, “the D-1 bus will be for students living on Upper and Lower Roads in West Deerfield only.”
As for how people were notified of the changes, Carey said “global phone calls were made to the parents of the students to inform them of the new bus routes,” adding that “the new routes are posted on the websites of Frontier Regional School, Deerfield Elementary School, and the Frontier and Union 38 District.”
Selectboard Chairwoman Carolyn Shores Ness said the bridge is scheduled to be replaced in 2020. In the meantime, workers will temporarily repair the bridge to get it back up and reopened for traffic as quickly as possible.
“We’re doing everything we can to work with the local MassDOT office to facilitate a temporary fix that’ll allow for reopening,” Shores Ness said, adding that recently the town appropriated $50,000 for repair work. She said another $50,000 will be contributed by the state.
Public safety officials, including the director of South County EMS, and a spokesperson for the police and fire departments, said they’re prepared and will, if needed, call in mutual aid from Greenfield to help West Deerfield residents.
You can reach Andy Castillo at: acastillo@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 263
On Twitter: @AndyCCastillo