To the Editor:
An article recently published in another newspaper within the last couple of weeks tells of a bridge design that will devastate the character of an otherwise beautiful New England town. We are once again talking about the South Bristol swing bridge.
The swing bridge is in disrepair and has been for “some time.” The Maine DOT has bent over backwards holding numerous meetings with the townsfolk regarding the cost and design of a new bridge. A small group of folks in town were fighting the replacement and now are complaining about the aesthetics of the bascule design that has been chosen.
I have lived in South Bristol for all of my 54 years. I have stood by and watched the changes that have happened to a small quaint fishing village. I have watched the coastline of this town become peppered with “McMansions” and “No Trespassing” signs. The paths I used to walk through the woods to get to the store are now a thing of the past.
Change is inevitable and necessary. More and more people are moving to the area to live year round. We need a safe, reliable bridge.
The Maine DOT has tried to please everyone, which is an impossible task. The many, many meetings they have been called to South Bristol for have mostly been a waste of time and money. What should foremost be a matter of safety has turned into a superficial matter of aesthetics.
Life will go on as usual for the folks living and making a living here. To say the bascule design will devastate the area is absurd. We have survived the McMansions. I have a feeling we will survive with a bascule bridge in place as well.
Evelyn Frey Osgood, South Bristol
