A year ago, a handful of Duxbury residents, including me, determined that something like the Mitchell River Drawbridge would work as a replacement for the Powder Point Bridge. Later, I heard town resident Peter Dalton talk at a June MassDOT meeting and realized that we might be able to save the current bridge.
To be fair to the Town of Duxbury and MassDOT, however, they have provided a path to have a Mitchell River Drawbridge replacement for the Powder Point Bridge, and they appear set to give that small group of people everything we asked for last year. As such, it is important to acknowledge how much the plans for the bridge have moved in the last year and to provide the public with a fair overview of the choices town residents face.
In short, to get a new wood-covered bridge, the town has to give up the many rows of wooden pilings that currently support the bridge. Save Our Bridge is working on a plan to save those pilings, one that doesn't hurt the environment, but in the meantime, people should understand what the town is proposing.