VHB engineers and environmental staff presented a Notice of Intent on Aug. 12 for repairs to the South Road bridge over Ballard Brook, describing removal and replacement of the bridge superstructure (beams, deck, railings) but no full replacement of the substructure (foundations).

Olivia Richards, project manager and structural engineer for VHB, said the existing structure (a 12-foot span and roughly 34-foot roadway width) has deteriorated beams and deck elements and that the town secured a state small-bridge grant to fund design and construction support. “The bridge deck's in poor condition. The bridge beams are actually in serious condition,” Richards said.

Bridgette Ogdorf, the project environmental scientist, outlined the wetland context: Ballard Brook is a perennial stream with a 200-foot riverfront zone, 100-foot buffer and a town 25-foot no-disturb zone. She said most of the work will be within previously disturbed roadway and bridge footprints and that the bank work would be limited to patching concrete on existing abutments, not excavation into natural bank.

Project scope and environmental measures: consultants said work would replace the superstructure with concrete deck beams set to the same opening, repave approaches, repair limited concrete spalls on abutments and install erosion controls including compost filter tubes, silt fence, debris containment tarps beneath the bridge and tree protection measures for one nearby large tree. They estimated approximately 3,879 square feet of temporary impact within the riverfront and about 471 square feet of permanent impact primarily for guardrail installation.

Commission members asked about foundations and stability; presenters said the existing abutments are stable and deeply embedded and would remain in place aside from localized patching. The town’s highway superintendent is the applicant and VHB said the plan is to advertise and construct in a single season if state permitting and funding approvals align — aiming to bid in April and build during the following summer, with the goal of completion by October.

Regulatory and schedule outcome: consultants reported that Natural Heritage review was pending and that no DEP comments had arrived as of the meeting. The Conservation Commission voted to continue the NOI hearing to Jan. 15 to allow time for state comments, including any Natural Heritage responses.