River Road Bridge to Reopen In Clarksburg, East Road Remains Closed

The road reopens Oct. 9.

CLARKSBURG, Mass. – The Route 8 bridge on River Road is expected to reopen this Friday, Oct. 9, but East Road will not reopen to public traffic.

During Monday's selectbaord meeting, they announced that the Route 8 Bridge project was on schedule to open the Friday before Columbus Day weekend.

However, access to East Road will remain limited to emergency vehicles only. The board stated that the new layout is too narrow and steep between the walls to safely allow regular traffic.

On Tuesday, workers were paving an access road off the side of the bridge that allows access to East Road.

The board held discussions with MassDOT, which originally wanted to keep East Road blocked with a locked chain-link fence. After some discussion, the town and MassDOT agreed to utilize collapsible delineators. If emergency vehicles needed to pass, they could drive right over them.

It was important to allow emergency access to East Road, as there are few ways to cut across Clarksburg. 

MassDOT announced the closure of River Road (Route 8) over the North Branch of the Hoosic River near the intersection of East Road to facilitate the installation of a temporary bridge over the existing Red Mills Bridge, following a bridge inspection that resulted in the failure of the 66-year-old bridge. 

The closure began Monday, Aug. 10. Since then, it has been closed to all traffic.

It will take five to seven years before the bridge itself is totally replaced.  

The town urges Residents and motorists to continue to follow all posted signage and use designated routes, and to use caution while traveling through the area as final project work may still be underway.

Before DPW Director Kyle Hurlbut's report, the selectmen thanked him for 20 years of service to the town.

He reported on routine maintenance and winter readiness, including work on the town buildings, salt shed, and cemetery notices. He said winter equipment and supplies were being prepared. A new truck chassis was expected later in the year, with delivery timing still uncertain.

One older truck has injector, fuel-pressure, and computer issues; repairs were estimated at $3,000–$5,500. Its bed is also in poor condition. The DPW was reluctant to invest in repairs and discussed trading or selling it, but planned to keep another truck available until equipment could be transferred.

Also at the meeting, Town Assessor Amber Holland reported that the town's tax maps were nearly two years out of date. She said a software upgrade was needed to connect the mapping system with Patriot and update the maps; the cost discussed was $1,800. The board approved the upgrade. 

In other news, the board opened bids for the West Road culvert grant. They received five bids. 

• Western Earthworks: $988,525

• Clayton D. Davenport Trucking: $1,594,440

• Rifenburg Contracting Corp.: $1,723,420

• Northern Construction Services: $2,530,890

• J. H. Maximillian: $2,979,381

Clarksburg School Committee Considers Lowering Paid Time Off Payout Threshold