By ANDY CASTILLO
Recorder Staff
DEERFIELD — Emergency repairs have been completed, and Stillwater Bridge was reopened to traffic Wednesday.
“All of the work has been completed and it is open to all traffic,” said Deerfield Police Patrolman Adam Sokoloski, noting that “truck traffic must obey the same weight limits as before it was closed. That has not changed.”
The town closed Stillwater Bridge after it failed a state inspection in October, because of scour damage beneath one of the bridge’s piers. A few weeks ago, a Department of Transportation dive team poured concrete underwater, and now that reinforcement has cured.
Since its closure, school buses have had to reroute, farmers who own land on both sides of the Deerfield River, which the bridge spans, have had to detour through Greenfield, and emergency workers have had to work with neighboring towns for mutual aid.
Sokoloski said in the past month, “we are excited to report that only one time did Greenfield Police have to respond to an Upper Road address during the closure.”
Initially, local officials expected repairs would take months to complete. However, the state stepped in and helped to bring about expedited repair work, shoring up the bridge until a more permanent solution can be found.
According a MassDOT project file, which is still in the design phase, the state has scheduled a “bridge preservation” project for 2020, with an estimated cost of more than $6 million.
You can reach Andy Castillo
at: acastillo@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 263
On Twitter: @AndyCCastillo