A road agent says Beech Hill Bridge
is “impassable.”
MADRID – A crumbling bridge in Madrid that carries camp owners and logging trucks over Saddleback Stream was closed last week by Franklin County’s road agent.
Paul McKeen, road agent, told county commissioners Tuesday morning that the Beech Hill Bridge is “just impassable,” backing up his argument photographs that show the corroded abutments of the bridge falling into the stream, which flows into the Sandy River.
Located less than a mile off Route 4 from the center of Madrid on the Beech Hill Road, the one-lane bridge has an upper and lower deck.
The lower deck was built many years ago by the county and is supported by a center piling that comes up from the water and abutments on both sides.
Last year, the county paid $15,000 to buy the upper deck, a temporary bridge that sits a few feet above the original bridge, from a logging company that had installed it.
After receiving several calls about the sturdiness of the bridge, McKeen went to check it out last week and ruled it wasn’t safe.
He placed concrete barriers around the bridge to ensure no one would drive over it.
On the other side of the bridge are a handful of camps and trails used for ATVs and snowmobiles.
That land is accessible by a more roundabout way, McKeen said, but the county should opt to fix the bridge once and for all.
His recommendation is that the county dismantle the bridge, sell the lumber and start fresh, estimating the project would cost under $50,000.
“I hate as much as anybody to put a whole lot of money into a bridge that goes out into the woods,” admitted Commissioner Fred Hardy. “But, there are property owners out there. I think we need to deal with it.”
Commissioner Gary McGrane suggested contacting the state’s department of transportation to see the minimum that could be done to bring the bridge up to code. The Land Use Regulation Commission will also be contacted because the bridge is in an unorganized territory.
Commissioners opted to table any action until the next meeting.
sdepoy@sunjournal.com
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