Rebuild that bridge

In other parts of Connecticut, bridges can get approved and built pretty quickly. Take the span in Southington along I-84, where a bridge was built in two sections off site, then brought in this past weekend to replace an obsolete structure. This is, according to Zach Janowski in the Hartford Courant, the culmination of work that began in November 2013, and the method has a name: Accelerated Bridge Construction, or ABC. The Southington project apparently went pretty well, and the commuters who use that bridge daily should have been quite pleased when they were able to drive over it June 30, after that final weekend of assembly at the site. Of course it is understandable that a bridge that gets heavy use by many state residents to do their daily business would take priority with the Department of Transportation. Yet, once those top priority jobs are done, the state DOT really needs to take a good, hard look at the closed Amesville bridge over the Housatonic and come up with a solution to the dilemma facing them, Falls Village and Salisbury to get that project started, and finished.Because while the closed blue bridge is not used by many commuters, in that there aren’t many in these towns compared to more populated parts of the state, it is located in a key position for those who use the upstream Great Falls, the river and its surrounds for recreation. Those emergency responders who keep watch over the visitors who hike, fish, kayak and commune however they prefer with nature there know the dangers that can overtake even the most seasoned person and how important it is to be able to reach them as quickly as possible if things go awry. Such fears were realized recently when an area teen, hiking above the Great Falls, fell along a cliff face and landed in the river. Rescuers from across the region converged on the location of the accident, but not all could offer help as quickly as they would have wished because of the impediment of the closed bridge. Having access to both sides of the river in such a situation could make all the difference in a successful rescue. The summer has just begun, and there will be many more people using that stretch of the river, as they should be able to do. But they should not have the anxiety that help may be delayed if they need it, especially when there are rescue teams who are well-trained in this kind of accident response on Northwest Corner towns’ ambulance and fire department rescue corps.Thankfully, the outcome for the teen was a good one. The rescue was successful, and while there were serious injuries, there should also be a full recovery with time and healing. The next time, if the rescuers find themselves on the wrong side of the river for the quickest access to an emergency scene, the obstacles to the most efficient response may make a difference to the outcome. It’s time to get the bridge rebuilt and to agree on a width difference that those using the bridge would barely notice. This is partly for convenience and to help commerce happen, but most importantly, for the safety of all who live on both sides of the river and may need emergency services, at their homes or on and around the river.