NEW SHARON – The Muddy Brook Bridge may be beyond repair, but the state is working with the town to find another solution.

Close to 40 residents attended a public meeting Thursday, held at Cape Cod Hill School, to talk with Department of Transportation officials, James Smith, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said Friday.

The DOT’s Dale Doughty and Ben Foster told residents that the bridge is beyond repair and it’s not cost-effective to fix it. They told residents there are other bridges around the state that also need attention, Smith said.

Some people suggested that the town could take it over, he said, but he reminded them that the town wouldn’t be able to spend a lot on the bridge, as there would be little money for other road repairs.

Earlier this week DOT had estimated a cost of more than $2 million to fix the 145-foot-long bridge. It was closed to traffic in March, making Main Street a dead-end road.

Some people said a road should be made on the easterly side of Muddy Brook Bridge to connect Main Street to Route 2 because of concern over the location of the fire station on Main Street, Smith said.

If an accident at the intersection on Route 2 occurred, firefighters would have difficulty retrieving fire trucks if the accident blocked the intersection and backed up traffic.

Developing an access road would be practical, Smith said, except for the curve on Route 2. He wasn’t sure how the state would feel about a road coming out onto Route 2 at a curve.

There were no promises, he said, as DOT officials weren’t sure the state would have the money to create a new road, but they offered their expertise to work with the town on specifications for it.

DOT officials agreed that closing the bridge created more traffic on what is already considered a dangerous intersection on Route 2, and admitted that it was a problem, but there’s no concrete solution, Smith said. No matter what is done, it means a lot of money, he said.

Access across the brook for snowmobilers was also addressed, Smith said. There was some discussion about using the granite abutments located on both sides of the bridge as a base to build a small snowmobile bridge.

One abutment was created for the old town road before Main Street was developed. The other, he said, was created years ago in expectation of the railroad being developed and running through the town.

“Both abutments are still standing just as straight,” he said, “guess the old-timers knew what they were doing.”

The state remained firm about the closing of the iron bridge over the Sandy River to all traffic, including snowmobilers and pedestrians, he said.

The state hopes to tear down the Muddy Brook Bridge within the next few years, he added.