The Lagoon Pond temporary drawbridge will be closed to traffic overnight, beginning at 6 pm, Tuesday, Oct. 7. It is expected to reopen the next morning, Wednesday, at 5 am. The bridge contractor will replace the deck panels that form the roadway on the temporary bridge, to improve safety. The bridge spans the channel into Lagoon Pond, connecting the town of Tisbury to the town of Oak Bluffs along Beach Road.
“The deck panels are being replaced because the top surface on the existing panels has worn down,” Department of Transportation (MassDOT) spokesman Michael Verseckes said. “We want to replace this in advance of the winter because in addition to snow and ice, this bridge is especially exposed to high winds and additional wear and tear caused by the salt air.”
Vehicles, including emergency vehicles, will have to detour using Barnes Road, Edgartown–Vineyard Haven Road, and State Road to reach destinations in either town during the evening and overnight hours.
The temporary bridge, completed at a cost of $9.3 million, opened to traffic in 2010. Construction of the permanent bridge, at a projected cost of $43.7 million, began in November 2013. The permanent drawbridge is scheduled to open to traffic next summer. After that the temporary bridge will be dismantled. There are plans to create a public park where the temporary drawbridge stands now, extending along the Lagoon Pond shoreline.
