Future of bridge in doubt

WILTON – Time may be up for the Canal Street Bridge.

Selectmen heard a report from Town Manager Rhonda Irish and Selectman Chair Paul Gooch at their Tuesday evening meeting on the future of the well-used bridge (pictured above), which connects the boat ramp with Lake Road and the downtown. According to Gooch, the Maine Department of Transportation has the bridge slated for removal within the year.

“They’re going to take it out,” Gooch told the board, having met with the MDOT Bridge Maintenance division’s Chip Getchell. “It’s not safe. It isn’t going to fall down tomorrow or anything, but it has to come out.”

Gooch said that he, Irish and Rep. Tom Saviello (U – Wilton) had tried to impress upon Getchell the important role the bridge plays in Wilton. Without it, access would need to come through Canal Street itself, which winds its way around buildings and parking lots. Hauling boats along that street, Gooch has said, would be difficult. Irish also noted that having one, dead-ended access to the dock posed public safety concerns as well.

“I think we had a good meeting,” Gooch said. “We tried to impress upon him how unsuitable [Canal Street] was for everything.”

Getchell will visit on April 3 to examine both the bridge and Canal Street. He did have some good news for the selectmen in that the pylons, which the bridge rests on, are in good shape. It’s the bridge itself which needs to be taken down.

Gooch said that the best case scenario would be for MDOT to remove the bridge and either completely or partially pay for the replacement. The worst case would be for the town of Wilton have to completely replace the bridge themselves, at a cost of $100,000 to $110,000.

That money would buy a custom-made, fitted “kit bridge.” Given the town’s specifications, a company would make the bridge and transport it to the site.

There are other options as well, of course. The town was able to build the bridge connecting the public library to Main Street by using surplus steel belonging to the state and employing local talent to design the plan. Getchell, Gooch said, would be looking into whether surplus steel may be available.

Gooch said that MDOT had agreed to not remove the bridge until the town had some sort of replacement plan in place. The selectmen agreed to wait for the inspection on April 3 before taking any action.

Selectmen also heard an update on the plan to beautify the nearby lakeside parking lot.

The basic plan, of which there are several variants, would be to reduce the 230-foot gravel strip next to the lake, which is above the recently-renovated retaining wall, by roughly one third. This would, by the committee’s rough estimates, reduce the number of parking spaces from 21 or 22 spaces down to 16 or 17 spaces. Two of these would assigned to handicapped only spaces, and another set aside for van handicapped access.

The spaces could be sloped to have oil and other elements run back away from the lake and into a drainage channel between the slopes of the road and parking area.

The entire parking area would be paved. Gooch said that the beautification committee was looking into whether Bruce Manzer, whose paving company will be adding a final top coat to Lake Road this spring, could pave the spots at the same time.

After the spots were established a green, park-like area  planted near the swimming access stairs would be created with the remaining one third of the space. That could include flower beds, benches or a picnic table.

The committee expects to meet again on March 31 to look at more final drawings and consider cost estimates. The project will be entirely funded through donations and fundraising efforts.