Work is underway on the demolition of the Briggsville Dam.
With the removal of the Briggsville Dam expected to begin next week, construction crews from Costello Dismantling Co. of Middleboro began preliminary site work in the North Branch of the Hoosic River on Monday.
“Right now, the crews are prepping for the work and getting their equipment into the river so they can begin dredging the sediment next week,” Town Administrator Michael Canales said Wednesday. “They need to remove approximately 11,000 yards of sediment before they can begin removing the dam.”
The Route 8 dam, which is 15 feet high and spans some 200 feet, will be one of the largest in the state to be removed.
“Because of the bend in the road, the dam doesn’t seem as big as it really is,” Canales said. “Unless you get down in front of it, you don’t realize how big it really is.”
Removal of the dam is expected to be completed by early December, weather permitting. “There’s a push to get it done now, because we can’t do it in the spring when the fish are spawning,” Canales said. “We will have to wait until the summer to complete the project if things aren’t completed by the winter.”
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