The Shurtleff Brook bridge on North Loomis St. is deteriorating and needs to be replaced. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
SOUTHWICK – At Monday night’s Select Board meeting, the board selected ET & L Corporation as contractor for the Shurtleff Brook bridge project. ET & L Corporation out of Stowe, Mass. was awarded the lowest bid at $687,778.
“We got the best price and the best solution,” said DPW Director Randy Brown.
The bid is for the construction of the Shurtleff Brook Bridge, which includes realigning and widening the road. The design of the new bridge expected to be at 19 ft. long and 32 ft. wide, the road will be realigned and widened, having the proper accommodation for vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
The current bridge is a 100-year old bridge on North Loomis Street that is 16 ft. long and 20 ft. wide. According to Brown, the structure is not salvageable for several reasons, including that it’s so narrow that it can’t accommodate two travel lanes without putting vehicles or pedestrians in danger.
Last March, the town received a $500, 000 grant from Mass DOT’s Municipal Small Bridge Program. Mass DOT accepts bridges into the program that are municipally owned, 10 to 20 feet in length, and are being replaced or trying to be preserved.
In December of 2017, the Select Board signed off on the $116,000 contract for Gill Engineering to do the engineering portion of the project.
Brown also pointed out that another $325,000 will be used towards the project as that money was approved by the town at the last annual town meeting.
The expectation is to have ET & L begin construction at some point this summer.
“The goal is to have it completed before school starts,” said Select Board member Russ Fox.
In February, the Select Board approved Brown’s request to have North Loomis Street closed when the project starts.
