State Rep. Pignatelli: ‘No quick fix’ for Brookside Road bridge closure

Great Barrington — On Sunday, August 11, residents of Great Barrington and Sheffield met with State Representative William “Smitty” Pignatelli (D – 3rd Berkshire District) to discuss the closure of the Brookside Road Bridge. About 60 residents gathered at the intersection of East Sheffield and Brush Hill roads, right next to the closed bridge. The meeting was organized by the Brookside Road Association led by Merle Kailas.

The bridge was unexpectedly closed on May 2 after a routine inspection by the state Department of Transportation. The truss-style bridge that crosses the Housatonic River was built in 1949, with a total length of 148.3 feet and a span of 142.7 feet.

In late May, Great Barrington City Manager Mark Pruhenski said the expected timeline for design, permitting and replacement of the bridge is four years, and the estimated cost for the project is in the “$3.4 million range.” At the August 11 meeting, attendees discussed estimates of how much it would cost in total to replace the bridge, with some residents saying they had heard different estimates of how much it would cost to repair the bridge.

However, according to the MassDOT website, the total estimated contract cost for the project is $10.9 million, and the total estimated participating federal construction cost is $11.6 million.

While residents at the meeting debated whether or not it was a good idea for the city to move forward with a temporary bridge project or open a lane of the bridge to traffic, attendees agreed that any solution to the bridge closure would take too long. “The earliest we can get a replacement bridge is 2028 or 2029,” Kailas told the crowd gathered near the bridge. “We hope something can be done at the state level to expedite (this project). There should also be an assessment to see whether or not there can be a temporary solution. Our main concern is safety.”

Kailas said that before the Brookside Road bridge was closed, it would take approximately seven minutes for an emergency vehicle to reach his home. “That seven minutes has now turned into 27 minutes,” Kailas said. “We are really concerned about the safety of people (in the neighborhood).”

Pignatelli said that although the bridge is owned by Great Barrington, the state has agreed to cover the engineering costs of the project. “It’s going to cost the state a lot of money to pay for a bridge in your town,” Pignatelli said. “I think it’s really sensible and smart for the state to do this. (Bridges) have been a problem all over the commonwealth. There are 19 bridges in Great Barrington alone, 35 in New Marlborough, 14 and a half in the town of Lee. These bridges are all aging at the same time.”

Pignatelli said he wanted to hear from residents who were impacted by the bridge closure, but he did not intend to criticize city officials. “I’m not here to criticize the city because I don’t get involved in local politics,” Pignatelli said. “I made a promise to myself 22 years ago to stay out of local politics, but I’m here to help you.”

There was discussion during the meeting about installing a temporary bridge. Pignatelli said that while a temporary bridge is an option for the city, there would still be financial and infrastructure implications. He said that if the city took on the design and construction of the temporary bridge, the state would not fund the engineering and other costs associated with a permanent replacement. “That’s a lot of money for the city of Great Barrington to swallow when they know they have 18 other bridges and culverts to deal with,” Pignatelli said. “If we open the road, everyone will be happy. But there’s still the condition of the permanent bridge that won’t go away. Plus, you still have to design and engineer a temporary bridge, and you have to procure a temporary bridge. They’re not sitting on a shelf somewhere with that kind of span and dimensions to make it work.”

Many of the participants said they were concerned about the condition of East Sheffield Road, the bypass that residents have been using to get to their homes, explaining to Pignatelli that the road has several problems. “The road is built on a flood plain,” Kailas said. “Part of the road is actually dropping back down into the river bottom. One time[coming down the road]I got sandwiched between two trucks, despite the fact that there was a ‘no trucks’ sign[on the road]. One of the trucks was so high up that it kept knocking down branches[from trees]and one of the branches fell on my windshield.”

Great Barrington Fire Department member Matt Pevzner spoke about the department’s challenges with East Sheffield Road since the bridge closure. “(For an emergency call,) Great Barrington and Sheffield will come down that road, and that’s one of the reasons we need to keep the trucks off (East Sheffield) Road,” Pevzner said. “Those trucks are big, and cars are a little bit of a match for a truck coming down that road. I know it’s not the best road (for emergency vehicles) to go down, but it’s a lot faster.”

Pignatelli said in response that any solution to trucks using the road would be the responsibility of the police, but that “you cannot stop local delivery.”

Camp Eisner is located at 53 Brookside Road, just a few doors down from where the August 11 rally was held.

Resident Neil Berger spoke to Pignatelli about the potential impact the bridge closure will have on residents’ homeowners’ insurance. “Our homeowners insurance policies are all rated based on how far we are from various fire and safety departments,” Berger said. “I know we don’t have any fire hydrants, but when you’re five minutes away from a fire truck response, your fire coverage costs are much lower. I’m anticipating higher costs for fire coverage and other insurance because no one can get here in time to save these homes.”

Brush Hill Road resident Nora Fernandez asked Pignatelli if it was possible for MassDOT to move any bridge project higher on its priority list. “Engineering doesn’t take a year,” Fernandez said. “I’m an architect. It takes a year if there are other priorities on the list, which is understandable. My question is, what can we do to get them to move our bridge higher on the priority list?”

“I’ll do my best to see if we can speed up the design (process),” Pignatelli said. “But keep in mind that MassDOT only has a few engineers to build bridges for 351 communities. We’re talking about thousands of bridges in very similar conditions to what you’re seeing now.”

Pignatelli ultimately told residents that he would look into whether MassDOT would make any bridge replacement a high priority and that he would speak with officials from Great Barrington and Sheffield to possibly jointly apply for grants to improve the condition of East Sheffield Road. “We’re going to continue to work together on this,” Pignatelli said. “We’re going to get solid information, and that’s where we move forward with this. We’re like buckshot (when it comes to getting information) right now. We have to avoid buckshot.”