Planning board weighs safety and scenic concerns for MassDOT-funded Stony Brook bridge rehabilitation

At a planning board meeting, members discussed a MassDOT-funded rehabilitation of the 150-year-old Stony Brook stone-arch bridge on Stony Brook Road and raised tension between safety upgrades and preserving the road’s historic, scenic character.

A committee member noted the structure’s age and town ownership and said MassDOT initiated and is funding both design and construction for the rehabilitation. The member also described planned structural repairs and said the project team will use scaffolding and other support measures during construction to avoid damage to the arch.

An agency official told the board that “the existing granite blocks along the side of the bridge now do not meet current safety standards” and warned that if “somebody hits it at speed, … the barrier will just fall into the water, and you’ll take a … good section of the arch with you,” allowing a vehicle to go off the bridge. The official said the project team prepared design exceptions with town staff to allow nonstandard elements at the approaches.

To balance safety and visual character, the agency official said MassDOT and town staff proposed using a timber guardrail at the approaches rather than a standard galvanized metal rail. The committee member said they had visited the site with staff and questioned whether solutions could better reflect the scenic road while addressing the crash and structural risks.

Board members emphasized the need to protect both public safety and the bridge’s historic fabric; they discussed that raising the roadway could exacerbate impacts on the arch and that careful detailing and protective scaffolding are planned to limit harm during construction. No formal vote or motion was recorded in the transcript.

Next steps discussed included continued coordination between MassDOT and local staff on design exceptions and site protection measures; the transcript does not specify dates for final design submission or construction start.