SOUTHWICK – The Select Board met with Fire Chief Russ Anderson and Paul Degray, a resident in town, to discuss the covered bridge, which is located near 412-418 College Hwy.
The covered bridge located at 412-418 College Highway in Southwick (WNG file photo)
First reported by the Westfield News on July 26, the Select Board held a public hearing with Anderson and three neighbors who live right near the bridge. The main dilemma is that no one knows what the exact weight limit is that the bridge can support, as Anderson has fire truck tankers that weigh around 45 tons.
“I’m looking for something that says that the weight of our trucks can go over,” said Anderson.
Degray, who lives close to the bridge and has been seeking information on the situation, wants to find out what the bridge is rated for, rather than what can specifically cross the bridge.
As it was mentioned at the Select Board meeting on August 21, having an engineer come out to give a close look at the bridge and coming to a conclusion, was the key step moving forward.
According to Degray, an engineer will be meeting with he and Anderson this Tuesday to find out if the structure is a viable bridge or not. Once a report is completed by the engineer, Anderson and Degray will meet back with the Select Board to go over what was determined.
