MassDOT rules out federal funds for wood bridge

Selectboard · Meeting of October 26, 2026

DUXBURY — MassDOT told Duxbury officials no federal funds can build or repair the Powder Point Bridge in wood. Supervising Project Manager Marco Pereira said MassDOT will not build a bridge its models show is not "climatologically resistant," citing a new hydraulic study that found the bridge's 20-foot pile embedment would not survive projected storms over a 100-year horizon. Vice Chair Fernando Guitart said upkeep would cost $66,000 a year over 50 years or $222,000 over 100 years, against the roughly $400,000 the town already spends annually on repairs, per consultant SGH.

Derek Bennett of Save Powder Point Bridge Inc. and Sheila Lynch-Benton pushed back, citing MassDOT's informal March deadline and unresolved historic design review. The board also unanimously kept a single 2027 tax rate and opened the town meeting warrant, with articles due November 30.

In the full story:

• Open Forum: Alden School Transparency and Bridge Records Requests
• Police Commendation: De-escalation at Duxbury Beach
• Fiscal Year 2027 Tax Classification Public Hearing
• Powder Point Bridge: Life-Cycle Costs and the Case for Replacement
• Powder Point Bridge: The Hydraulic Analysis and the End of the Wood Option
• Powder Point Bridge: Permitting, Funding Deadlines and Federal Risk
• Powder Point Bridge: Design, History and the Pier Dispute
• Powder Point Bridge: Public Comment on Alternatives and Accountability
• 2027 Annual Town Meeting Warrant Opens
• Town Manager's Report
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,545 words

Source: the Selectboard meeting of October 26, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.