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Select Board approves road closures and safety plan for July 3–4 events
Summary
After a presentation from the town EMA director and public-safety staff, the Bridgton Select Board unanimously approved road closures and a coordinated safety and traffic-management plan for July 3–4 events, including use of an event operations center and drone coordination.
The Bridgton Select Board voted unanimously to approve road closures and a public-safety plan for the July 3–4 community events after a detailed briefing from Todd Farrell, the town’s emergency management director and deputy fire chief.
Farrell outlined closures and rolling road-block operations for the July 3 parade, the July 4 road race and fireworks, and said the town will operate an Event Operations Center (EOC) with real-time drone feeds and interagency radio coordination to manage traffic flow and safety. He urged drone operators to coordinate in advance so town staff can deconflict airspace and recommended that residents use alternate routes during closure windows.
Staff provided specific closure points: Main Street from Elm Street to Highland Avenue, Highland Avenue to Dougway, Dougway to Harrison Road, Pond Road, Cross Street and Lower Main Street for parts of the morning road race; rolling closures will also be used during the parade. Officials said barriers will be placed at Chase and Bacon Streets and at Depot Street near the VFW bridge for a multi-day closure window. The board heard that the drone-assisted traffic-management approach has reduced departure times in past years.
Public-safety staff also described planned fire-safety inspections for food trucks and event sites using NFPA standards adopted locally and emphasized maintaining access for emergency equipment. Officials estimated the downtown fireworks crowd last year at roughly 5,000–6,000 people and Music on Main attendance in the range of 3,000–4,000 depending on band and weather; the board noted these are estimates.
Following the presentation and brief Q&A, a board member moved to approve the closures and the associated safety plan; the motion passed by unanimous voice vote. The board directed staff to publish closure maps and event details on the town website and to coordinate messaging with local media.
