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.