North Stonington — Twelve years after the Boombridge Road Bridge closed, a new bridge is set to be built.

After several of the bridge's steel beams were found to be severely deteriorated, the state Department of Transportation closed the approximately 120-foot-long bridge, which spans the Pawcatuck River, in July 2008. The closure of the bridge has forced residents to take at least a six-mile detour to get to the other side. The defunct bridge, which connects the town with Westerly, was built in the 1960s.

The primary reason it took so long to begin construction is because the bridge is owned by both towns, and both Connecticut and Rhode Island are involved with granting permits.

Connecticut DOT spokesman Kevin Nursick said that with the administrative and federal requirements, permitting, oversight, execution of construction and administration of funding, it became clear that it would be best if one state handled the project. After discussions, it was agreed the Connecticut DOT would oversee the project.

First Selectman Michael Urgo said it took a concerted collaboration between various parties to bring the project to fruition.

"I think the challenge of it was that you had two states, two towns, two environmental agencies, just a lot of people to coordinate," Urgo said. "That in and of itself has its challenges, but I'm thankful that a lot of people came together in both states to get this done."

Before a new bridge can go up, the old bridge must come down.

The project involves removing the existing span, reconstructing the bridge approaches on both sides and then building a new bridge that would be 24 feet wide and 122 feet long. The project is scheduled to be completed Nov. 20. Nursick noted that when complete, the new bridge should last at least 50 years.

The project is estimated to cost $2.66 million, and the work will be done by the Brunalli Construction Co. of Southington. Past cost estimates hovered around $3 million, but Urgo said bids came in lower than projected.

Bridge construction is being funded by federal and local funds. The Connecticut DOT will contribute $1,066,300 of federal dollars; the Rhode Island DOT will pitch in $600,000 in federal money; North Stonington will pay $266,575 and Westerly the remaining $732,875.

Nursick said that although the bridge carried very little traffic on a daily basis, the detour route was not efficient and a burden for local traffic.

Last week, Urgo mentioned the effect the closure has had on the large Beriah Lewis Farm on Boombridge Road while extolling the benefits of the new bridge.

"The bridge has an economic benefit to Rhode Island and Connecticut; it provides much easier access to both towns, and businesses in both towns should benefit," Urgo said. "We have Lewis Farm, an invaluable member of our community, that owns land on both sides of this thing. I'm sure it's been an incredible challenge for them over the past years."

In 2015, The Day spoke with Rosalind Lewis, co-owner of the Beriah Lewis Farm, and she expressed her frustration with the holdup.

"We're a pretty big business ... and we're pretty big taxpayers," Lewis said at the time. "And yet this bridge cost us, this past harvesting season, $200 to $275 a day."

With land, crops and livestock on either side of the bridge, the commute for the farm and its staff proved especially frustrating.

"You'd think they were building the George Washington Bridge," said Lewis at the time. She could not be reached to comment last week. 

s.spinella@theday.com