About eight residents attended the meeting, Selectmen Chairman Maynard Webster said Thursday.

“Most were sad to see it go,” he said. “Most could see the necessity of having it removed.”

The bridge, which used to carry traffic from the old Route 2, was closed to vehicles more than a decade ago due to cracks in the abutment. Pedestrian traffic was later eliminated due to continued deterioration.

MDOT will take it down as soon as possible, but not date has been set, Webster said. 

MDOT bridge maintenance engineer John Buxton has been notified of the town’s decision. He is obtaining more information and researching what types of permits are needed, Webster said. The work will also include stabilizing the steep slopes where the bridge stood.

The town was recently contacted by MDOT officials, who expressed concerns that the 1916 bridge is in imminent danger of collapsing. The latest inspection showed significant disrepair, Joyce Noel Taylor, an MDOT chief engineer, recently wrote to Webster. The bridge abutment shows significant vertical cracking, unsupported concrete and separation at the east abutment, according to her letter.

Taylor was concerned that the bridge was not safe to stand on or under. She endorsed taking immediate action to prevent the bridge from collapsing into the Sandy River, posing potential harm to the state bridge downstream. 

She reiterated a previous MDOT offer to remove the bridge at no cost to the town, but only if it was done before the bridge collapsed.

“We’ve spent a lot of time and work seeking funding to rehab it,” Webster said.

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