Another covered bridge in the Greater Saint John area has been damaged and put out of commission, at least temporarily, but the closure is impacting not only residents nearby but also first responders.
“Hammond River Bridge Number 3” at Smithtown, near Hampton was damaged earlier this week.
There’s no official word as to what exactly caused the damage to the bridge and the Department of Transportation says the assessment is still underway into the extent of the damage. It has been closed until further notice.
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Roger Breau is chief of Hampton Fire Rescue which would be the first department to respond to emergencies in the area.
“We don’t have any access and the service now is going to be slower to get there,” Breau said.
The Kennebecasis Valley (KV) Fire Department will be part of the first responding unit to that area and admits that extra distance does come into play.
“Typically that area is in the very rural area of our response zone,” said KV platoon chief Kevin Clynick. “The travel time to get there is going to be lengthened for sure.”
That is not something lost on residents like resident Morgan Stevens.
With extra time needed for emergency responders, Stevens is concerned about what impact it will have.
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“We’re about eight minutes from the fire station in Hampton for insurance purposes so I would have to assume that that’s going to add 15 minutes maybe for the KV Fire Department to get here if anything were to happen,” Stevens said.
The Smithtown Bridge is the second covered bridge in the area to face a potentially lengthy shutdown. Another bridge at the end of French Village Road was shut down in the fall of 2016 when a piece of heavy equipment went through the floor. It remains closed and under repair.