Bridges

While many people think that a town's most expensive assets are its buildings or vehicles, in most cases it's actually the roads and bridges it is required to maintain that have the highest dollar value.  With paving a mile of road or replacing a small bridge each costing around a million dollars, it's easy to see why maintenance can be challenging.  As so many in town were built around the same time (1920s and 1930s), they are all beginning to fail or need more serious upkeep at the same time, too.  

Bridges are locally owned and maintained but are inspected every two years by the State Department of Transportation (DOT).  Reports with ratings and deficiencies are issued after each inspection and are used by the Select Board, Finance Committee, and Highway Department to determine how best to fund and prioritize maintenance.  If a bridge is found to be in bad condition, the DOT is empowered to order the bridge be reduced to either a single lane, reduced maximum tonnage, or even outright closed, sometimes on an emergency basis with no notice.  This can require repairs or workarounds, or potentially even replacement to get them up and running again.  

In addition, people typically assume culverts are under their own separate category of infrastructure, but larger culverts are now actually classified by the state as "small bridges" and are subject to the same inspections and regulations.  If a large culvert/small bridge is in danger of or has already failed, it's likely that the replacement structure will be vastly different as culverts built ~100 years ago were not prepared for the larger and more serious storms that we are experiencing due to climate change.  One- and Five-hundred year flooding (similar to the flooding in July 2023) are occurring more frequently and require modern infrastructure to handle excessive debris, erosion, and water levels.  

These problems are not unique to Ashfield.  Small towns all over the state are experiencing bridge deterioration and insufficient funding to help maintain them.  The Town of Hawley frequently points out that they "have more culverts than people" in town.  As it can take 2-5 years to accumulate enough funding to replace one bridge but five or six are at reduced limits or closed, it's a matter of triaging which bridges will have the biggest impacts on public services, community safety, and residents' lives.  The town relies heavily on state grant funding to help limit these reductions and closures.  

Bridges Requiring More Frequent Inspection

Some bridges have received a rating poor enough to warrant more frequent inspections by the DOT.  While these bridges are not dangerous to drive on, they are at a heightened level of review and are more likely to be reduced/closed by the DOT than others around town.  This does not mean bridges not on this list can't be closed or that the next bridge to be affected is listed below, but these are the most likely candidates for a reduction/closure.  

Federally Defined Bridges

• A-13-14 Apple Valley Road
• A-13-20 Apple Valley Road
• A-13-24 Williamsburg Road
• A-13-27 Beldingville Road

Massachusetts Short Span Bridges

• A-13-26 Creamery Road
• A-13-29 Smith Branch Road
• A-13-31 Apple Valley Road
• A-13-35 Williamsburg Road
• A-13-37 Apple Valley Road

Bridge Reports

Bridge reports are issued within a few months after being conducted, assuming no major issues are present.  As more reports are received, they will be added.