By Guy Page
The removal of at least one covered bridge in Lyndon is the leading candidate for future flood mitigation.
Efforts to restore a historic Vermont covered bridge in Lyndon could be undone as part of flood mitigation efforts, according to today’s edition of the Caledonian-Record, the daily newspaper published in St. Johnsbury.
Lyndon has been ground zero for catastrophic flooding this summer, hit first on July 10-11 and then again a week ago Monday July 29 and into Tuesday after a microburst of heavy evening and early morning rain. Now a flood mitigation committee is looking at several alternatives – and the leading option is removing the Sanborn Bridge, which was targeted for acquistion by the Town of Lyndon in 2021 to promote tourism and culture.
According to a report this morning in the Caledonian-Record, the Hazard Mitigation Committee last Tuesday heard a preliminary report on 14 potential flood fixes for downtown Lyndon from a Waterbury engineering firm.
“The report showed that removing the Sanborn Covered Bridge and 2-6 feet of fill from its southern approach would reduce the greatest flood along the Passumpsic River,” the Caledonian-Record reported.
This action would reduce flooding on a nearby mobile home park and state highway, the report said. But the Sanborn Bridge is now the subject of a $2.2 million renovation project of the Sanborn Covered Bridge.
The debate over removing the Sanborn Covered bridge demonstrates the tradeoffs between the intense, recent push for flood mitigation and other priorities, including promoting housing, parks, tourism, and Vermont’s historic tradition.
Covered bridges were originally a climate decision: The typical wooden bridge simply couldn’t last long under the winter elements. Solution: cover it. Now the pressing climate challenge is flooding, and the solution may be…. at least one less Vermont covered bridge.