Flooding in July 2024 took out two bridges and seriously undercut a home on North Fayston Road in Fayston.
Temporary bridges were installed on Randell Road and Airport Road in Fayston after the 2024 flooding and the Cohen home on North Fayston Road was condemned after the flooding and then subject to a buyout. That home was taken down this week. Another home, further down North Fayston Road, in Waitsfield, was also demolished following that flooding. Ownership of both parcels of land reverts to the towns and they can never be developed again.
Fayston Town Clerk Madison Vasseur explained that the Cohen house was crushed and removed last week, the well was cut and capped below grade, and the septic system was pumped, crushed in place, and backfilled.
The town select board is looking at next steps to address bank stabilization, she said.
That same July flooding caused serious damage to multiple other roads in Fayston and took out the Airport Road and Randell Road bridges. Both bridges were replaced with temporary bridges that the town has been renting until replacement bridges could be installed.
In addition to the bridge work, the town had to replace 10 to 12 culverts on Dunbar Hill Road which was basically destroyed by the July 2024 flooding. The Dunbar Hill flooding also caused extensive damage to North Fayston Road.
Peter and Susan Colgan live on Airport Road and will be providing a staging ground for the bridge work, being undertaken by Winterset Construction, starting with tree cutting last week and this week on both sides in preparation for the bridge replacements.
Peter Colgan said he met with the contractor this week and was told that the tree cutting needed to be completed by April 15 and that the project would take 180 days which means work would continue through this October. The new bridges are coming partially constructed, which will shorten the installation process.
“As the projects progress, there will be road closures. Once those details are finalized, we will notify residents and the public,” Vasseur said.
