NORWAY — Town Manager David Holt said he is looking for ideas for the proposed pedestrian bridge across Pennesseewassee Stream connecting the Water Street municipal parking lot and Main Street.

“We’ll just see how it goes,” he said.

Holt submitted an article on the June 18 annual town meeting warrant to see if residents were willing to spend $20,000 for a bridge that will provide more access to Main Street. Voters appropriated $20,000 from the Community and Economic Development reserve for it.

Although the town’s engineer, Rob Prue of Pine Tree Engineering in Bath, estimated it might cost as much as $40,000, Holt said he’s hoping with some hometown help, it could be done for less than $20,000.

Holt said he hopes townspeople will come forward with ideas of what type of bridge they would like for the money. If engineers say it is safe, he said it is likely the bridge will use the same footings as a previous bridge near the new site of the Gingerbread House on upper Main Street.

“All options are fine,” he said of the design ideas. A prefabricated bridge might even be considered, he said.

“We’re not under the gun. It will probably be some time in the coming year. I want to listen to people’s ideas,” he said.

This is not the first time a footbridge has been proposed downtown to cross the Pennesseewassee Stream. Under a proposed master plan in 2004, residents proposed a footbridge across the stream to link the former Cummings dowel mill property to Main Street. That plan never came to fruition.

ldixon@sunjournal.com

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