A $15,000 grant will pay for assessing Boardman Bridge for future restoration
NEW MILFORD — A $15,000 grant was received by the town for assessment of Boardman Bridge to determine how much work has to be done to make the bridge safe for pedestrian and bike traffic.
The grant came from the Housatonic Valley of Elected Officials as the region’s Municipal Planning Organization for traffic.
The bridge has spanned the Housatonic River since 1888. It was closed to traffic in the 1980s with a replacement bridge for vehicular traffic completed to its south in 1984.
The ornamental latticework design has since rusted and bridge deck has become unsafe even for foot traffic.
Rob Burkhart, president of the New Milford Trust for Historic Preservation, is working to form a 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity to raise the funds necessary to restore the bridge.