Temporary bridge to reopen in Abbot

ABBOT – The state Department of Transportation plans to reopen the temporary bridge across Kingsbury Stream by midweek.

The temporary bridge was closed for safety reasons several days ago after DOT officials discovered that the beams under the temporary bridge were stressed to the point that fatigue had started to show.

Reed & Reed of Woolwich constructed the temporary bridge for Route 15 traffic while the company worked to replace the former steel bridge over the river.

As part of its contract with the state, the contractor is required to make the necessary repairs to the temporary bridge at its cost.

State officials had hoped the bridge could reopen by Father’s Day, but the contractor did not get all the necessary materials to finish up the bracing, according to Wendell Harriman, DOT’s resident engineer.

To hasten the bridge reopening, Harriman said the contractor had his employees working Sunday.

The lack of a crossing over the river has inconvenienced Route 15 motorists and left a few businesses grumbling.

“I was disappointed,” Barbara Trafton, owner of Trafton’s Family Affair, said Sunday, of the further delay.

While she said she was glad the bridge was closed before someone got hurt, she is frustrated by the length of time it’s taking to make the adjustments.

Her convenience store and small restaurant, which is wedged between a large detour sign and the temporary bridge, has lost revenue since the temporary bridge was closed, Trafton said.

Since traffic from Guilford is re-routed to the Abbot intersection, skirting her business and others, few venture past the detour sign other than her regular customers, Trafton said.

“Business is way down, but we still have our local customers who go all the way around Guilford to get here, and we are so appreciative of that,” Trafton said.

Trafton believes there would be fewer problems with the temporary bridge if truckers would slow down. “They’re hitting that bridge way too fast, and when that happens, it’s going to shift that bridge,” she said.

Motorists also are traveling too fast on the Back Abbot Road, which serves as the detour route, according to Sheriff John Goggin.

He said Sunday that he had received several complaints about the high speeds used on the narrow town-maintained road and had stepped up patrol coverage in the area.

As a result, “a lot” of motorists have been summoned to court for speeding, he said.

Harriman is aware of the complaints about the use of the back road and the loss of business suffered by local shops.