PARIS – About a dozen people appeared before Oxford County commissioners on Tuesday to air concerns on the proposed discontinuation of a Riley Township road.

Commissioner Steve Merrill said the board decided in May to discontinue Coburn Field Road and its associated bridges, including Twin Bridges, although any action on the decision is at least a year away.

The Twin Bridges span the Sunday River, and the issue of their safety has been heard by the board before. The bridges have a posted weight limit of three tons after being deemed unsafe for heavy traffic due to problems with their underpinning and abutments.

Merrill said that while Riley Township’s property is valued at $12 million, about $10 million of the property is tax-exempt and the county only collects $25,489 annually from the township. Repairs to the bridge are estimated to cost about $60,000.

Attendees at the hearing spoke in favor of preserving the route for safety and recreational reasons.

James Mitchell, executive director of the Mahoosuc Land Trust, said the bridges access popular recreational areas, including hiking trails and the Frenchmen’s Hole swimming area.

Joseph Aloisio of the Sunday River Skiway Corp. said the resort has 3,500 acres in forestry management accessed by the bridges. He said the new weight limits have made the land inaccessible by heavy equipment and has lead to erosion on roads that can no longer be maintained.

“That in itself is creating an environmental problem,” Aloisio said.

Wayne Miller of Dirigo Timberlands said forest management in the area creates jobs, and that the bridges are important for fire control.

“It’s such a large area that’s accessed by the bridges,” Miller said.

John Titus of the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands said the organization has invested in the bridges before to keep the area accessible for recreation and timber harvesting. Titus said the bureau would be unable to assimilate the entire cost of repairs, however.

Merrill said the county is hoping for contributions from the bureau and Sunday River if the bridges are to be repaired. The National Guard has previously done work on the bridges but has not been contacted regarding the current situation.

“We’re looking for additional help,” Merrill said. “It is a unique area, and we’re very well aware of that.”