Renegotiate 1971 bridge agreement

December 19, 2025
1 min read

To the Editor,

I compliment the Wayland Post for the excellent article on the history of Sherman’s Bridge in your Dec. 5 issue.
There is one thing I do not understand. That article gives the overwhelming evidence that an agreement the Town of Wayland made with the residents of Sherman’s Bridge Road in 1971 prohibits state money from being used on the bridge and/or road.
At the same time, the Wayland and Sudbury DPWs are saying work needs to start on the bridge immediately or the two towns will lose a million dollars or so in state funding.
It seems to me this state funding is at great risk if the residents of Sherman’s Bridge Road exercise their legal rights to block this. So why hasn’t the Select Board reached out to the neighborhood to renegotiate this 1971 agreement so state money can be accepted?
I think otherwise the town is playing a dangerous game of chicken with its own residents who live near the bridge.

Lee Rubenstein
Draper Road

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