LEVERETT — A bridge to be rebuilt in a remote area of North Leverett should have dyed concrete decking and wood railings, helping it to fit better with its setting near the historic coke kilns and a waterfall, according to the Selectboard.
Members of the Selectboard gave the go-ahead on Tuesday for Westfield-based Tighe & Bond, the engineers for the Mill Yard Road bridge project, to design a new bridge with a stone-like facade and a more old-fashioned appearance.
The exact design will be unveiled after plans are submitted to the state Department of Transportation, which is providing up to $1 million for the reconstruction.
“I think we have a starting point,” said Selectboard member Jed Proujansky, who advocated for making the new structure as “unugly as possible.”
The idea is that if the concrete is dyed, it would help blend the bridge into the narrow gravel roads and woods.
The existing one-lane timber bridge over the Sawmill River was knocked off its foundation in 2018 and has been closed, except to pedestrians, since then.
Andrea Lacasse, senior project manager for Tighe & Bond, said the state program seeks to have 100-year life spans for replaced bridges. The recommendation from the consultant, which is concluding the design and alternatives analysis phase, is to have an adjacent deck beam bridge, using precast, prestressed concrete. That would have a $1.25 million upfront cost and $400,000 in life-cycle costs, mostly related to concrete repairs.
Part of the concern for the Selectboard is not replicating the problems with the timber Coke Kiln Bridge, which was rebuilt in 2019 and is already showing signs of deteriorating, including gouging next to the wooden planks.
Selectboard Chair Patricia Duffy said she is worried the exposed wood on that bridge is splitting apart.
Some residents, though, have questioned why the Mill Yard Road bridge needs to be rebuilt at all, with Steve Adams, who lives nearby, commenting that the area begs for a place to walk, rather than to drive.
But Duffy said a survey of residents four years ago indicated that they wanted the bridge to be reopened to vehicular traffic.
Dudleyville Road drainage
In other business, the Selectboard heard concerns about ongoing work to improve drainage on the gravel Dudleyville Road, including removal of trees that may be on private property.
Resident Rich Karsten said he is worried about the town and its contractor intruding on his property without any easement.
Duffy said that if the work doesn’t put drainage where engineers have suggested, water could pool in the road.
Karsten’s questions centered around whether the trees were part of a legal tree hearing. The Selectboard is directing the tree warden to work with Karsten on the concerns.