“Finally, finally, finally!”
With those words, Selectman Bob Hamilton snipped the red ribbon stretched across Rindge’s Wellington Road bridge, which has been closed for the summer during reconstruction, cutting off Wellington Road from Route 202.
Hamilton, in a short speech Thursday afternoon, thanked the design team, Hoyle and Tanner, and Daniels Construction, who excavated and constructed the new bridge.
The total cost of the bridge is approximately $820,000. The town is reconstructing the bridge with funds from the state bridge aid fund, which covers 80 percent of the cost. The remaining 20 percent of funds were approved at the 2020 Town Meeting by voters.
“This was not merely a three or four month building project. The taxpayers have been putting aside money for this bridge for over 10 years,” Hamilton said. “Since this project’s initial phase was to fund it, I must thank the selectmen and town administrator at that time. Their foresight in the project and its anticipated costs over a decade in advance are truly impressive.”
Hamilton cut a ribbon across the road to officially open the bridge, and a town Highway Department dump truck, a Fire Department vehicle and the town’s Recreation Department van were among the first vehicles to cross the bridge to ceremonially christen it.