Sherman’s Bridge is far more than a road across a river between two towns. It’s a historic site, an iconic Wayland/Sudbury/New England wooden bridge, crossing a peaceful river, in a national wildlife preservation, and used year round for recreation and relaxation. It runs between a quiet, residential Wayland neighborhood to one in Sudbury–not even near any commercial districts! Both neighborhoods’ roads have speed limits of 25mph or less.
Our bridge needs repairs: taxpayers need to authorize this expenditure, right? So why weren’t any of us told about this, consulted, or involved in decision-making for how to best address this? Engineers and others in this Wayland neighborhood have some great ideas– likely costing far less than the sole project our towns’ 2 DPWs and managers are supporting. A plan that goes beyond repairs and drastically changes our bridge’s appearance and usage forever.
By involving MASSDoT, suddenly we need steel guardrails to withstand high speed crashes: but no one remembers a single bridge crash in the last 50 years, if ever! Given speed limits to and from the bridge, why on earth do we need any steel railings or accident barriers inside the bridge along both sides that will only obstruct pedestrian recreational use and ruin the bridge’s esthetic and historical authenticity forever? Or steel railings?
Wayland residents have repeatedly fought to maintain.
Wayland’s employees involved so far perhaps have good fiscally-focused intentions. But they don’t live here, and if they weren’t working here 35 years ago, likely aren’t familiar with how townspeople have cherished and protected this bridge and its historic and recreational significance, nor appreciate how upsetting it is that we today were not consulted first, before a dramatic plan was developed. And that we are still being kept out of the process.
If you care about this bridge, entirely, not just as an oft-used traffic cut-through to avoid route 20 or 27, reach out to town officials or anyone that can help us get answers and an alternative proposal from elsewhere, one that honors and maintains our bridge.
Elisa Carter
Sherman’s Bridge Road
