COLRAIN — Should cars be permitted to travel the town’s historic covered bridge?
Built around 1870, the Arthur A. Smith covered bridge was restored in the mid-2000s, and opened only to pedestrians. The police chief, fire chief and highway superintendent all say the bridge should not be open to vehicles for safety and enforcement reasons. However, a couple of residents disagree, saying the bridge should be reopened to vehicles as that was its historical intent.
At the Monday Selectboard meeting, Police Chief Christopher Lannon did not support opening the bridge to traffic, citing inefficient resources to enforce regulations and difficulty seeing oncoming traffic on Foundry Village Road when exiting.
Fire Chief Nicholas Anzuoni, also opposed reopening the bridge to traffic, noting the structure is not tall nor strong enough to carry emergency vehicles. He added that if it were reopened, the town may lose federal aid, according to an assessment by the state Department of Transportation Bridge Engineer.
Highway Superintendent Scott Sullivan agreed with these assessments in a letter, adding that the railings aren’t crash-tested, and if a vehicle collided with the bridge, it may cause significant damage.
Selectboard member Eileen Sauvageau, who lives near the bridge, expressed concerns about safety and disruption to the river area.
“Personally, I like that you can walk down there and there’s not traffic coming through from Route 112 to get to Foundry Village,” Sauvageau said. “It just has an ambiance about it – it’s quaint, it’s quiet, it’s a really beautiful place to just walk and go down to the river.”
Colrain Historical Society board member Joan McQuade asked whether the expense the bridge’s restoration a decade ago was worth it if it is only accessible to pedestrians. Debby Wheeler, another member, also supported opening the bridge to traffic, saying this was its original purpose when it was built in the 19th century.
“I don’t think that the safety issue is a reason to say, ‘oh no, we can’t possibly do that,’ I think there’s ways to look at it – making no right turns there, making it one way, cars only. I think there’s a way to deal with it, and open the bridge, so that people can enjoy it,” Wheeler said.
The bridge has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983 and is one of the few covered bridges left in the state.
Reach Grace Bird at gbird@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 280.