This week the Waitsfield Select Board is considering how to manage rotting joists on the Waitsfield Covered Bridge and the best way to protect public safety as well as preserve and repair the historic village landmark.
Following the news last week that Miles Jenness of Vermont Heavy Timber inspected the bridge and, in sharing his findings with the select board, suggested the bridge may not be safe for public use, the board discussed a plan of action at its meeting this week.
Closing a major transportation route in The Valley will impact all of us, and it’s not something the board wants to do unless absolutely necessary. Keep in mind that the repairs will require a closure of at least three weeks. Whether or not it is closed while we await the repairs has to do with what actions local drivers take.
The bridge has long been one-way or one car-at-a-time in each direction. (And that means even if there is no vehicle on the other side waiting to cross while you wait your turn, you need to let the car in front of you exit the bridge before you start!)
There are signs on either side of the bridge warning that the bridge is for passenger vehicles only. The posted limit is three tons or 6000 pounds. That does not include one-ton trucks with trailers or delivery vehicles or dump trucks, etc.
There aren’t a lot of enforcement options. We either self-police now, or all of us are going to face a longer closure sooner than the repair work can start. There are other roads that can get people across the river, including Tremblay Road, Meadow Road, and Rolston Road.
Rolston Road is a narrow Class 4 road that has its own issues, and Meadow Road has a bridge that is already compromised and posted.
The town is contemplating a traffic ordinance that could facilitate a web-cam near town bridges and in the absence of self-policing that may be what it takes to keep the bridge open. It would be a shame if our covered bridge were damaged or destroyed or people were hurt.
“Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone . . .”
So wrote Joni Mitchell in her 1970 hit Big Yellow Taxi. Those lyrics are apt this week.
