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11/02/2022 09:51 AMChatfield Hollow State Park is one of the shoreline’s best kept and most adored natural secrets. The park features a vast array of hiking, fishing, and recreation opportunities nestled within some of the most diverse and beautiful woodlands in the area.
One of the most beloved aspects of the Park is the covered bridge that crosses a stream leading to miles of hiking trails. Known as the Kissing Bridge, as it supposedly offers a discrete setting for a quick smooch between lovers, the structure is also a setting for wedding photos, baby pictures, and is often listed as one of the most beautiful covered bridges in the state.
However, the bridge has seen better days and is now in a state of deterioration.
Local activists Cheryl Buckley and Rhonda Levine joined forces almost five years ago to gather support to try and get officials to remedy the situation and repair or replace the aging structure. Their Facebook group, Friends of Chatfield Hollow, has garnered more than 2,100 members and has been advocating for a solution to the bridge repair.
“There are so many people who love this bridge. It is such a wonderful place,” said Buckley. “This is a landmark. This is really a symbol of Connecticut. People have come here for generations to take wedding photos, baby pictures, for family reunions. It is such a beautiful place, and we all want to come together to save it. Our ideal outcome is to replace or repair the bridge. It’s obvious that it is needed, and I don’t know what is more feasible, but it is also part of a trail so there is a real purpose to it.”
Buckley said that state and local officials have been responsive to inquiries about the bridge and she is hopeful that a repair or redo of the bridge is on the horizon.
“It’s been two and a half years of us going after politicians saying, ‘What are you going to do?’ So, we just want bring attention to the cause,” said Buckley. “We are trying anything and we welcome anyone else’s input.”
Levine added, “Anyone who has come to the park and seen the bridge understands how lovely and important it is. We really want people to know about this and to help support a solution. So, we hope that any attention will help with the effort to save it.”
With more than 412 acres, Chatfield Hollow State Park is a popular destination for biking, hiking, picnicking, swimming, and fishing.
Killingworth First Selectwoman Nancy Gorski said that even though the Park is a state-controlled parcel, Chatfield Hollow is an important part of the Killingworth community and any improvements are welcome.
“The Kissing Bridge is a landmark for Chatfield Hollow, and it would be terrible to lose this,” said Gorski. “Although a State park, many Killingworth residents enjoy this park all year long.”
This past summer, the state allocated $51.5 million, including $21.5 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to address, “the backlog of needed infrastructure improvement across the State Park system,” according to the state website.
Paul Copleman, Media Relations Manager for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) said the agency has allocated funding for a study that they hope will begin before the end of the year.
“Yes, we have committed $100,000 as part of our master project planning process to hiring a consultant for design and permitting tasks relating to assessing the bridge,” Copleman said. “DEEP has committed to hiring a consultant by the end of this calendar year.”
The bridge’s positioning over a small stream presents a number of environmental issues, including any construction’s impact on the sensitive ecological framework of the waterway. DEEP officials have said that it simply isn’t a matter of tearing down and rebuilding as the waterway presents conditions that make any repair or replacement a delicate and slow process.
Environmental permitting requirements are chief among the challenges from a water resource impact perspective. If the new bridge is adequately sized from a hydrologic/hydraulic perspective then it automatically becomes more structurally sustainable. The water resource will not scour and undermine the foundation of the structure as much. The superstructure must be enhanced as well to sustain a long life cycle.
“Basically, the bridge has to safely endure the volume and velocity of water that passes underneath it continuously,” Copleman explained. “As we face a changing climate, that means stronger storms and potentially more severe floods and higher water levels. It's important to ascertain what hydraulic forces the bridge needs to withstand over time. Those have likely changed since the bridge was built, so we’ll have to determine whether the current footprint and foundation of the bridge are adequate as we plan for the long-term future of the bridge. Finally, we have to consider the aesthetics as well.”
State Senator Christine Cohen, who chairs the Environment Committee which has oversight of DEEP and the State Forest and Park System, said the repair or replacement is something that is at the top of lawmakers’ agenda.
“The group came to us with these concerns about the deterioration of this beloved bridge to us several years ago. Last year, I went out there with Deputy Commissioner Trumbull for a hike so I could show him exactly what was happening and what we were seeing, and I think that was a really important in moving the project up on the timeline and securing funding,” Cohen said. “We don’t think it’s a safety concern yet, but it will be very soon. But it’s a beloved landmark and something that is special and iconic to the Park itself. So, we wanted to make sure it was a project that had priority. I’m excited because we have a commitment for funding, we have a commitment that it will be a priority for the DEEP, and we should be moving forward on it soon.”
Cohen said she was confident that the project will move forward quickly, and a decision on whether the plan would be a complete reconstruction or a repair, would be made in the coming months.