Ware Town Manager Mary T. Tzambazakis said the town is talking with property owners about the possibility of re-routing Doane Road rather than rebuilding the bridge there.
WARE – Town Manager Mary T. Tzambazakis said the town is in discussions with owners of property where Doane Road meets Route 9 in hopes of agreeing to an alternative routing that would eliminate the need for replacing the bridge there.
But Tzambazakis said that even if that option is chosen instead of bridge replacement, it is unlikely that the work could be done this year.
Either course of action would probably be dealt with in a capital improvements plan the town hopes to put together in a comprehensive way in the coming weeks.
The bridge that connected Doane Road with Route 9 was closed in July 2009 when state engineers found it to have structural problems.
Town officials have expressed concern about the situation because of the inconvenience this causes residents who live there and because of the additional time this would add when emergency vehicles need to get to Doane Road.
But finding money for a solution has not been easy.
Original estimates for rebuilding a bridge there came in at $154,000, but Public Works Director Thomas J. Martens said those estimates turned out to be low and would only provide for a temporary bridge.
“We are looking at re-routing the road right now. We put a preliminary layout together,’’ Martens said.
Details have been discussed with owners of property the road would have to cross, Martens said, and there are no plans for any land taking by eminent domain.
A consultant is working for the town on this issue, which involves such features as wetlands issues and a curb cut for a state highway, as well as costs.
“We will need to see if that alternative really makes sense compared to the bridge,’’ Martens said.
In March, the Board of Selectmen encouraged Martens to continue investigating details about re-routing the road at this intersection.