DUMMERSTON — Good weather and no hidden repair problems allowed a covered bridge to reopen, a result that pleasantly surprised the Selectboard last week.
On Aug. 21, the board met for a special morning meeting at the West Dummerston Covered Bridge for one last check of repair work done by Renaud Brothers of Vernon. Satisfied with what they saw, the board reopened the bridge to traffic at the end of the day.
Renaud Brothers, charged with repairing an erosion problem with the historic bridge's wing walls, completed the project well ahead of the previously forecast finish date of mid-September.
As a result, contingency plans to reroute school buses during the bridge's closure were shelved.
Also, the swimming hole underneath the bridge and the park-and-ride area for commuters have both reopened.
The repair work to the bridge cost $234,820 to complete. The cost was covered by a transportation-enhancement grant by the Vermont Agency of Transportation.