Selectmen Mull the Tapping of Reserve Fund for Teague Drive Bridge

A Salem bridge closed indefinitely last week due to deterioration could see funds withdrawn from the Roadway Capital Reserve Fund for the engineering of a replacement.

The request will come before the Board of Selectmen tonight at 7. The meeting will take place in the Knightly Meeting Room of Town Hall.

The aging culvert had been reduced to one lane since December of 2011, but now residents who live on roads accessed by the structure will have to seek other routes.

A sink hole was recently discovered on the side that was open to motorists, prompting the immediate closure of the entire bridge on June 5.

The bridge is made up of a corrugated metal pipe. The material is no longer supported for use when constructing Salem bridges.

Town Manager Keith Hickey said last week that construction of a new bridge will cost between $700,000 and $800,000.

The board also has the option to go through the State Aid Bridge program for the design work, which could delay construction until 2015 but end up costing less in the long run. The town would get 80 percent of the cost reimbursed by the state.

Engineering costs will be between $50,000 and $70,000 if the board chooses not to go through the state.

Plans are to replace bridges on Town Farm Road and Shannon Road in 2014, with the initial plan having been to replace the Teague Drive culvert and Bluff Street Extension bridge in 2015.