WHATELY — A bridge on Williamsburg Road that’s been closed just shy of a decade will be replaced thanks to a state grant.
“The Whately Selectboard is pleased to announce that the town will receive $497,000 to replace the closed Williamsburg Road Bridge. MassDOT, through its Municipal Small Bridge Program, will pay for the entire cost of the project including the design and construction of the new bridge,” read a statement on the town’s website. The grant was awarded at the end of last month.
The bridge, which spans Sanderson Brook, was closed in 2010 following a failed inspection. That inspection “revealed severe section loss and cracks on multiple mid-span beams,” notes the grant application, submitted last fall. Since then, Town Administrator Brian Domina said residents living in the area have had to take a detour of 8.2 miles. The grant application approximates additional travel time at 18.25 minutes.
A letter from Ralph Taylor, Connecticut Valley district manager with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife, supports the project. The bridge connects “243 acres of protected open space (that) were purchased by the Commonwealth as a Wildlife Management Area for the enjoyment of the citizens of the Commonwealth for hunting, hiking, bird watching and other passive recreation,” Taylor said.
Domina said small towns with small budgets, such as Whately, often aren’t able to repair broken bridges with taxpayer money.
“The bridge costs the same amount in Greenfield and Northampton as it does in Whately, but we don’t have the ability to generate revenue,” Domina said. “There is great importance for the state to provide assistance to municipalities for small bridges.”
“Whately is a small community with an annual budget of approximately $4.6 million. Many of its residents are on fixed incomes and could not afford the associated tax increases. Currently the town allocates approximately $3,000 to maintain the existing bridges and culverts and this money is only able to fund incidental maintenance and repairs,” the application relates, continuing, “the town has no other realistic sources of funding.”
Domina also noted that state Chapter 90 funds, which are used for road infrastructure repairs throughout the entire town for each year, aren’t enough to cover repair or replacement expenses either. Currently, the town has a remaining Chapter 90 balance of $115,047. Next year’s allocation is $145,379.
Additional funds from the grant, remaining after the bridge’s replacement, will be used to pay for new abutments on a second bridge on the same road, which will then be fitted with a temporary bridge deck, also paid for by the state.
Other Franklin County towns which also received small bridge grants include Wendell, Ashfield, Warwick, Charlemont, and Colrain.
You can reach Andy Castillo at: acastillo@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 263. On Twitter: @AndyCCastillo