Groton — The long-closed Quaker Farm Road bridge over Haley’s Brook is being replaced. Geoff Foster, supervisor of technical services and acting assistant public works director for the town, said the town took the road out of service at least 8 years ago because it was deemed structurally unsafe and pursued funds to repair the bridge. He said the roadway over the top of the culvert had started showing signs of collapse. The bridge’s two 54-inch diameter corrugated metal pipes also were collapsing. The bridge, which connects Lambtown Road on the west side to Haley Road on the east side, has been closed off by jersey barriers. The construction cost is $1.7 million, of which the state will cover half, and the town will cover the other half, Foster said. Construction, awarded to Watertown-based Dayton Construction, started at the beginning of February and is slated to be completed by July, he said. Foster said the project will replace the two circular pipes for the culvert with an open bottom box culvert, a design that is better for fish passage and other aquatic life in the wetlands in that area. He said while the roadway and the height of the bridge will remain the same size, the new bridge will be longer at 26 feet. Since the bridge will be greater than 20-feet-long, it will be put under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Transportation for inspection. He said local police and EMS have wanted the bridge to be open for them to travel for emergency response. Old Mystic Fire Chief Kenneth Richards Jr. said the bridge replacement will enable the fire department to get to Lambtown Road from two different ways. He said the fire department opposed closing the bridge from the beginning. Richards said there are no hydrants in the area. The bridge was in a strategic location for tankers to come in from the northern side of the district, and it provided a water source if the fire department had to draft from the brook underneath. He said another bridge, the North Stonington Road bridge near Old Mystic Fire Department’s Station 1, is even more important and has been closed since it was deemed in poor condition following a 2010 flood, which puts a severe strain on the department.

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