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infrastructure

Falls Village bridge could remain closed for years

Falls Village bridge could remain closed for years
File photo

FALLS VILLAGE — The bridge on Cobble Road over the Hollenbeck River is closed for an indefinite period.

First Selectman Dave Barger received a letter from the state Department of Transportation Wednesday, March 25 – one day after DOT personnel inspected the bridge.

“Based on the inspection findings, including section loss and bowing/bucking at several beam ends, the Department of Transportation is recommending the Town of Canaan close the bridge.”

The Cobble Road bridge is one of seven bridges in town in need of repair or replacement.

Barger said Saturday, April 18, that the bridge is eligible for full federal funding because the bridge is 120 feet long or more, which is the primary criterion for federal funding.

The other six bridges are well below the 120-foot mark in length.

Right now, the schedule has the bridge reopening in 2030, but Barger said that date might get moved up.

Signs and barricades were placed at both ends of the bridge on Monday, March 30.

The town is working with Cardinal Engineering on a plan for the other six bridges. That plan, which will include possible grant funds, will be presented to the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance in May.

Barger said the work is necessary.

“Like a lot of towns, our infrastructure needs attention,” he said.

The six bridges under review are: Undermountain Road over Ledgy Brook, Undermountain Road over Deming Brook, Barnes Road over Wangum Lake Brook, Canaan Mountain Road over Wangum Lake Brook, Canaan Mountain Road over unnamed stream, and Music Mountain Road over Flat Brook.

Patrick L. Sullivan
Senior Reporter
Patrick Sullivan has been a reporter for The Lakeville Journal since 2004, covering everything from town meetings to local characters and the outdoors. He grew up in Northern Virginia but spent summers on Mount Riga in Salisbury, giving him a lifelong connection to the Northwest Corner. A graduate of Denison University, Patrick is also the author of Tangled Lines, the newspapers’ popular fly-fishing column—making The Lakeville Journal, as far as anyone knows, the only newspaper in Connecticut with a regular fly-fishing columnist. He once received a fan letter from England, which he considers sufficient evidence that his work has achieved international acclaim.
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