MONTAGUE — The South Street Bridge will be reduced to one lane and will stay that way for the foreseeable future.
Town Public Works Superintendent Tom Bergeron told Selectboard members that the department received an official letter from the state last week recommending that the south side of the bridge needs to be “barriered off.”
After the barriers are put up, there will be one 12-foot travel lane with no weight restrictions.
However, Montague faces a dilemma with bridge problems as there is not enough money to spend to fix them. Currently, the White Bridge by the paper mills will be closed from May 10 “until further notice” and the General Pierce Bridge will be open to one lane of traffic May 15, 16 and 17 during the daytime.
“What can we do to get these bridges back to two lane bridges?” asked Selectboard member Rich Kuklewicz.
“Spend money on them,” Bergeron replied with a chuckle. “We can do whatever we want, if we pay for it.”
There is no timeline for the South Street Bridge’s one-lane reduction due to the cost of repairing it. Chapter 90 funds would be used to pay for it, but the $490,000 grant this year is already being used to pay for roadwork and sidewalk projects.
Bergeron expects the lane closure to begin sometime after Memorial Day.
Reach Christie Wisniewski at:
cwisniewski@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 280