STOCKBRIDGE — With one of the town’s oldest bridges in danger of collapse, town officials have decided to replace it with a pedestrian-only span. The Curtisville Bridge, also known as the Old Stone Arch Bridge , spans the fast-moving Larrywaug Brook that links Stockbridge Bowl with the Housatonic River. The state closed the bridge to traffic in 2012.
Now, a retaining wall on the northeast side of the bridge has failed, and water is undermining it, according to Town Administrator Michael Canales. Residents in the Interlaken neighborhood are sounding an alarm about it. The Select Board discussed options and ultimately voted to pursue a pedestrian-only replacement bridge at an estimated $1 million.
The board also asked Canales to seek a second opinion from an engineer specializing in historic preservation. The bridge was constructed in 1842, near the first wood-based newsprint paper mill in the U.S.
, according to an official town history. It’s one of the state’s oldest stone arch bridges, and is listed on national and state historic registries. After it was shut down, a 2015 study exploring potential repairs came up with a plan to stabilize and save the bridge, Canales said.
But by 2020, a Foresight Land Services site visit found significant deterioration , including abutments undermined by erosion and stones separated within the arch. That led to a relocation of utilities on a span adjacent to the existing bridge. After a 2020 inspection of the Curtisville Bridge found .
