MONSON — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Highway Division hosted an initial public hearing at Monson Free Library on Sept. 19 to share preliminary details on the replacement of Stafford Hollow Road Bridge and allow residents to provide feedback.
In addition to the Sept. 19 hearing, a 25% design public hearing will also take place in the summer of 2025, MassDOT Project Manager Adam Kiel explained. This hearing will provide more specific information on the bridge’s design and impacts to the surrounding area.
He emphasized that the project was still in the “early design stages” and that all feedback from residents would be taken under consideration.
The need for repairs on the Stafford Hollow Bridge, which crosses the New England Central Railroad, was first identified after timbers in the bridge were noted as deficient. It was later changed to a plan for a full bridge replacement after an inspection found that dry stone abutments on the bridge could not be reused. The project was initiated in December 2022 and submitted a pre-25% design in June 2024, Patrick Engineering Design Consultant James Szczupaj stated.
Currently, the Stafford Hollow Bridge is a narrow, one lane structure without any sidewalks for pedestrian or bicycle traffic, Szczupaj said. This bridge has been identified as “structurally deficient.”
In replacing this structure, the new bridge would replace the deficient materials, widen the bridge and create a sidewalk for pedestrian traffic.
The bridge replacement design presented at the Sept. 19 hearing proposed a two lane bridge with a sidewalk along the north side. Each lane would be 10 feet wide while the sidewalk would be 5.5 feet wide with a 2-foot shoulder on the opposite side of the bridge, Szczupaj stated. The north side would also include a protective screen barrier, as required for railway bridge crossings.
The total project is estimated at $4-5 million and will be federal and state funded, he said.
Under the current proposal, Stafford Hollow Road would be closed except for residential traffic. This method would likely help the project be completed at a faster rate than if a temporary one-lane bridge was installed during construction, Kiel explained. However, this plan remains a potential option and is “not set in stone,” he said.
If the road is closed, the detour route would follow a similar path to the route created during repairs to the bridge in 2021, Szczupaj said. This route would use Stafford, Cedar Swamp and Peck Brothers roads, resulting in an approximately 3.5-mile detour.
All impacted property owners will be directly contacted by MassDOT Right of Way on the specific details of how their individual property will be affected by construction, Right of Way representative Brenda Codella stated. This would occur after the summer 2025 public hearing.
During the public Q&A sessions, abutters and nearby residents raised concerns about specific impacts to their properties and the impacts of construction, such the potential for tree removals, increased traffic and the poor line of sight across the current bridge. These concerns were acknowledged by the MassDOT team, which noted that additional design work was needed before a final answer could be provided.
Residents also voiced concerns about the integrity of the bridge, with abutters stating that the current bridge’s deck had raised boards and missing nails. In response, District Project Development Engineer Paula Simmons highlighted that regular inspections of the bridge were conducted and the bridge would be immediately closed if signs of failure were visible. She stated that she would pass the residents’ report of deck concerns to the chief engineer.
Furthermore, Simmons emphasized that bridge reports were “not a few pages,” explaining that the documents were detailed and would be able to identify a risk of failure.
Similarly, Monson Highway Surveyor Ben Murphy stated the most recent bridge report was presented to the Select Board this past spring and did not highlight a “failure issue.”
Following the Sept. 19 public hearing, MassDOT will next reach out to Monson residents in summer 2025 for the 25% design public hearing. A tentative advertising date is set for summer 2027, Kiel said.
To submit a formal comment about the project, email MassDOTProjectManagement@dot.state.ma.us with a subject line of “MassDOT Project File No. 613139 — Monson.” Written comments can be mailed to Carrie Lavallee, P.E., Chief Engineer; MassDOT; 10 Park Plaza; Boston, MA 02116, Attention: Project Management, Project File No. 613139, according to the state.
To be formally included in the meeting transcript, residents should send comments to MassDOT within 10 days of the Sept. 19 hearing. However, comments will still be accepted on a general basis after this deadline, Kiel noted.
All comments and questions on the bridge project itself should be directed to MassDOT, rather than the town of Monson, Murphy emphasized.
For more information about the Stafford Hollow Bridge project, visit mass.gov/orgs/highway-division/events.
