When is the Clarksburg State Park footbridge being replaced? The DCR says the project will be done next year
Scott Stafford | The Berkshire Eagle | July 24, 2022
CLARKSBURG — The footbridge at Clarksburg State Park is still gone after being removed for safety reasons in the spring of 2021. And contrary to previous reports of a five-year process, its replacement will be installed next year.
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation had told local officials that the pedestrian bridge, a key feature of a popular trail, would not be replaced for another five years.
That would have been a hardship for regular users of the bridge, which connects a walking path around the Mausert Pond. The only way to get over the stream that the bridge once crossed is to climb down a more than six-foot embankment, walk through the stream on rocks and climb back up the other side.
For elderly walkers, or even those not especially spry, the crossing is insurmountable. When the stream is running high, it is especially hazardous.
That’s why the Clarksburg Select Board sent a letter to the DCR asking the agency to prioritize the bridge replacement.
“We would like to bring to your attention the need to replace in a timely manner the footbridge, which has failed, which connects to walking trails in the park,” the letter says. “From what we have been told, it will take some five years to replace. It would seem that a quicker solution can be found, even a temporary one.”
After being contacted by The Eagle, a spokesperson for the DCR wrote in an email that a replacement bridge is now under design and the little span will be ready for use late in 2023.
“DCR is working through the design and permitting process now,” spokesperson Carolyn Assa said by email. The project should be ready by spring 2023, she said, and replacement will take place that summer and be complete by year’s end.
“This is welcome news indeed,” said Town Administrator Carl McKinney.
The Clarksburg Foot Bridge was built by the Student Conservation Association and had been part of the 3½ mile Pond Loop Trail. It was removed, Assa said, with plans to build a new bridge “to last through the next generation of visitors.”
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