Pedestrian bridge planned for safer walk into Salisbury

SALISBURY — The Selectmen’s Pathways Committee secured a state grant to build a new pedestrian bridge alongside Route 44, aiming to make the walk between the Lions Head condominium development, the Appalachian Trail and downtown Salisbury safer.

Just north of Route 44, lies the Lions Head Development and an opening to the Appalachian Trail. Lions Head, a condominium developed in 1984, contains 52 units of housing.

For more than 40 years, residents walking downtown have had to share a narrow highway bridge with motorists to cross a brook on the north side.

The new pedestrian bridge is a part of a larger plan to build new sidewalks across town and improve overall walkability. It will run parallel to the existing Route 44 bridge on its east side and will enable residents of Lions Head and trail hikers to more safely walk the quarter mile into Salisbury by eliminating the need to cross the busy road.

The existing bridge narrows to slow traffic entering town, making it difficult for pedestrians to cross safely.

“Trying to make pedestrians feel safe so that more and more people move around on foot is the whole mission,” said Selectman Katherine Keifer.

In the Oct. 5 Board of Selectmen meeting, the Pathways Committee announced it secured $180,000 from the 26th Connecticut Regional Trails Grant to begin permitting, design and bidding process. According to committee member Gerry Stanton, the total project will cost about $680,000, though the state program could eventually cover up to 80% of the total price tag.

“There’s already enough speed coming into the village, and that, these bridges which are a hundred years old, they should hopefully stay narrow as they are,” said First Selectman Curtis Rand.

“So if there’s a reason to get bicycles or hikers over it, let’s do a footbridge over the brook.”

The idea came from a Department of Transportation (DOT) audit in 2025 to identify safety concerns and find solutions. No official timeline for the project exists, although the trail managers, the Appalachian Mountain Club, and Lions Head Resident/Representative Charlie Vail support the project.

“I’d just like to endorse the plan and thank those who’ve worked on it, because I think it’s very positive,” Vail said. “Every time I exit, you see a lot of hikers, so this will help the safety of those people, and the local residents as well… We’re very happy to cooperate in any way we can.”