ASHFIELD — The Selectboard voted unanimously on Monday to accept state funds to repair the bridge over Creamery Brook on Williamsburg Road.
The project, to be carried out by the Clayton D. Davenport construction company, was originally going to cost the town around $90,000, but the “state said they were willing to pick up the tab,” according to Selectboard Vice Chair Todd Olanyk.
The bridge was closed at the discretion of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation in July 2025.
When asked by resident David Kulp if the receipt of state funding meant that the contract with Davenport was canceled, and if this meant that the entire bridge would be replaced instead of the originally planned replacement of the steel beams, Selectboard Chair Tom Carter clarified that the contract is still active and the scope of the project will stay the same, but the state is taking on the responsibility of the bill. The state has already begun several other bridge replacements and repairs in Ashfield and surrounding towns, and offered to add the Williamsburg Road project to its list.
The town initially hoped to have the repairs completed by June 30, but that timeline will now be pushed back to mid-summer, according to Town Administrator Paul McLatchy III.
Selectboard members quickly voted 2-0 to accept the money from the state, with Olanyk saying “for that amount of money, it’s a no-brainer.” Member Steven Gougeon was absent.
Voters last year approved an extra $450,000 for bridge repairs and preservation, with McLatchy referring to bridges as the town’s “most expensive asset.” In McLatchy’s report from the Small Town Administrators of Massachusetts’ Legislative Priorities Survey, he noted that a general consensus among survey participants was an increased emphasis on infrastructure improvements. An action item included continuing support for the Municipal Small Bridge Program.
