MEXICO – Rather than spend several thousand dollars to buy a light pickup truck to plow a road across a bridge that’s unsafe for heavy plow trucks, selectmen sought help from the town’s water district.

The issue concerns the Thad White Bridge over Webb River, which separates Mexico from Dixfield. It was rendered unusable last month when the Maine Department of Transportation downgraded the bridge’s safety rating from eight tons to three tons.

The light pickup truck, which would have replaced a 1994 Chevy one-ton truck, was sought to plow the bridge and eastern end of old Backkingdom Road to keep it open for a few residents.

But Selectmen Chairwoman Barbara Laramee argued that officials needed to stop buying things and look toward assistance from Rumford or Dixfield.

“We need to buy the equipment because we have a need for it,” Road Commissioner Dave Errington said. “We’ve been dragging our feet because this bridge never got fixed. It’s been seven years.”

Rather than replace the bridge, estimated to cost about $300,000, Town Manager John Madigan and selectmen are negotiating for easements with landowners along Partridge Lane, a road that serves a private development. The town wants to make the private road a public way and extend it along the western side of Webb River to residents hampered by the bridge’s downgrade.

Selectman Arthur Bordeau suggested first checking with Rumford and Dixfield officials to see if they could help rather than spending $20,000 to $30,000 for a light pickup truck.

He then motioned to authorize Madigan to talk with Dixfield and Rumford officials about possibly using one of their light trucks to plow the bridge and road, then return and advise selectmen. It was passed by a 3-0 vote, but not without more discussion that ended in a similar request made to the Mexico Water District.