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Select Board presses MassDOT for geotechnical data as Powder Point Bridge debate intensifies
Summary
After a MassDOT response letter, the Duxbury Select Board and public debated a proposed MassDOT replacement, possible wooden‑bridge rehabilitation, funding options, and whether the town could face a 'point of no return' in procurement. Board asked advisory committee to continue review and sought geotechnical and Section 106 timelines from MassDOT.
Select Board members and a packed public forum pressed MassDOT and town advisers on Aug. 3 over the future of Powder Point Bridge after the town received a MassDOT letter detailing a project timeline. A Select Board member summarized portions of the MassDOT response and said the agency’s construction estimate assumes "approximately 4.5 years" of work; that duration, multiple residents said, would produce major traffic detours and local economic impacts for businesses and beach access.
Residents and advisory‑committee members urged the board to explore rehabilitation of the existing wooden structure, to seek grants and other funding options and to secure a local letter of eligibility for historic protection. As one longtime resident told the board, "If you take the money equation out, the answer is always a wood bridge." Board members said they are in an information‑gathering phase: they want geotechnical results and the outcome of a Section 106 review before narrowing options and indicated they will keep the issue on future agendas and meet again with the Powder Point Bridge Advisory Committee.
Several speakers cautioned against reaching procurement milestones that could reduce the town’s leverage. The board asked MassDOT for clarity on any financing deadlines and requested an accelerated schedule for geotechnical work so the town can compare rehabilitation and replacement scenarios, including long‑term maintenance costs. The board scheduled continued engagement with the advisory committee and public outreach while staff and volunteers work to assemble cost comparisons and potential funding sources.
