Stonington — A group of residents and Old Mystic Fire Department Chief Ken Richards are pressing town officials to replace the deteriorated Lantern Hill Road bridge instead of spending $68,750 for a temporary fix that would keep the bridge open for the next five to 10 years but prohibit large vehicles such as firetrucks from crossing it.

If nothing is done, the 71-year-old bridge over Whitford Brook would have to be closed to all traffic. A recent study rated it as being in the worst condition of the town's 22 bridges.  

Betsy Graham, the secretary of the Lantern Hill Valley Association, a neighborhood group, said Wednesday she has collected more than 300 signatures from residents and nearby businesses in Mystic calling for the replacement of the bridge, which connects Ledyard and Stonington.

As far back as 1989, a state Department of Transportation study called for replacing the bridge and improving the roads approaching it. 

"This is an obligation the towns have to their residents," Graham said about replacing the span. "If we wait five to 10 years for a solution, something else will happen and the costs will escalate."

It would cost about $800,000 to replace the bridge with the two towns splitting the cost. While Ledyard is in favor of funding a replacement, Stonington is not because of other capital projects it has to address. Stonington has agreed to split the $100,000 costs of a temporary repair with Ledyard, where that official decision is pending. Town Engineer Chris Greenlaw reported to the Stonington Board of Finance on Wednesday that the overall cost has increased to $137,450 due to the addition of engineering and inspection fees.    

Richards on Wednesday called the need to replace the bridge "a public safety issue." 

While there is just one Stonington home that the fire department would not be able to reach with the weight limit because the driveway is across the bridge in Ledyard, Richards said his department provides mutual aid to fires and serious accidents in Ledyard and its dive team responds to water rescues in Long Pond.

The weight limit will mean both Old Mystic and Ledyard departments would have to take a lengthy detour down Shewville and Indiantown roads to provide mutual aid. Richards said this could result in delays of up to 10 minutes. 

"That's a long time when your house is on fire," he said.

In the event of a life-threatening emergency, Richards said he would cross the span with his truck because both axles will not be on the bridge at the same time.

Richards and Graham pointed out that Lantern Hill Road is also a major thoroughfare for people and businesses needing to travel between Route 2 and Mystic.

"I can't believe they are even thinking of closing it down," Richards said about the weight limit for trucks.

In the Lantern Hill Valley Association's recent letter to Stonington First Selectwoman Danielle Chesebrough, Graham wrote, "We know you are aware of this bridge's societal importance to the over 150 homes in the Lantern Hill Valley area for EMS support, medical needs, and shopping in the SE coastal towns. Residents within this corridor live in Ledyard, North Stonington, and Stonington. Lantern Hill Rd serves as a crucial N-S corridor for commuters, recreation and tourists between the Route 2 corridor and towns of Groton, Mystic, and Stonington."

Ledyard Mayor Fred Allyn III could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Meanwhile Graham and Stonington Board of Finance Chairman Tim O'Brien said state Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, who represents Ledyard, is seeking state and federal funding to help pay for the replacement. At Wednesday night's finance board meeting, O'Brien said efforts to do the temporary repairs will continue at the same time as those to obtain state and federal funding, because in six months the bridge would have to be closed if the funding does not materialize.      

Chesebrough said this week that "everyone wants a long-term solution but there isn't money right now." She added that the town's $400,000 share of the replacement would likely be more due to the need for an updated engineering study and escalating construction costs.

She pointed out the town already has cut $850,000 out of its proposed 2021-22 capital improvement budget of $4 million and "a lot more" needs to be cut. That total does not include millions in school projects. 

She said some items that the town is looking to fund in 2021-22 are body cameras for police, an additional $300,000 to complete sidewalk installation along Route 1 in Pawcatuck and HVAC improvements at Town Hall and the Human Services building. 

j.wojtas@theday.com