SOUTH DEERFIELD — After nearly two and a half years of detours, motorists are back on the bridge carrying North Main Street over the railroad tracks.
Deerfield residents’ phones buzzed on Oct. 13 with a long-awaited alert from Police Chief John Paciorek Jr.
“Happy Tuesday! IT’S OPEN,” the message reads. “North Main Street ‘Dry Bridge’ is open for all traffic.”
According to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), which carried out the replacement project, the bridge is one of 14 wooden truss bridges left in the state. The bridge was built so long ago that the state does not have its original designs on file, according to Paciorek.
After a decade of deterioration in the wooden trusses, the bridge closed in May 2024 due to safety concerns, Paciorek continued. MassDOT removed the deteriorated beams, installed new wooden beams and a waterproof barrier, paved over the span, and installed new guardrails and fencing.
“It’s a smooth ride over there,” said Selectboard Chair Blake Gilmore, who has tested out the improvements.
No town money was used, as MassDOT covered the full project cost, according to Paciorek.
The police chief said the project took two years and four months. He added that the work on the bridge had to be completed in conjunction with the work on the railroad, which saw delays in permitting, authorization and other key elements.
Without MassDOT District 2 Highway Director Patty Leavenworth, who advocated for the project at MassDOT’s headquarters in Boston, as well as District 2 Head of Engineering Matt Minihan, the team of MassDOT bridge engineers, state Sen. Jo Comerford, former state Rep. Natalie Blais and others working behind the scenes, Paciorek said the bridge replacement could have dragged on for six to 10 years.
“To say we are appreciative of them is a dramatic understatement,” Paciorek said.
The project has been in the works for a while. The bridge was originally scheduled for replacement in 2007, but the design standards at the time required a larger bridge, sparking “massive pushback” from residents, according to Paciorek. At a public information session for the project in 2006, opposition from residents regarding land takings to make the replacement possible led MassDOT to pull the project, he said.
Between 2006 and 2023, the weight limit for the bridge continued to drop as its deterioration worsened, until Paciorek and Selectboard member Trevor McDaniel called MassDOT’s attention back to the bridge in late 2022.
While big trucks were barred from the bridge before the changes, the new structure has no weight restriction. Gilmore and Selectboard member Tim Hilchey said the new bridge will redirect 18-wheelers away from the center of town and onto the bridge.
Gilmore described North Main Street as a critical path for trucks, school buses and locals running errands in town. He said the new bridge will speed up these trips that detours to Hillside Road and Routes 5 and 10 had interrupted.
“Reopening the bridge has made a huge difference for residents throughout town, especially those in areas where detours pushed impatient drivers into previously sleepy neighborhoods,” Hilchey said. “When the long-awaited Elm Street makeover gets underway next spring, the bridge will act as a traffic relief valve, which should make the roadwork go much more smoothly as well.”
“For the locals, it’s going to make things a little bit easier,” Gilmore echoed.
With a new traffic pattern, Hilchey reminded motorists to drive carefully through the intersection between North Main Street, Routes 5 and 10, and Mill Village Road, which has a history of collisions.
