North Brookfield Closes Madbrook Road Bridge, Seeks Solar and Road Bids

NORTH BROOKFIELD -- April 21, 2026, North Brookfield closes Madbrook Road Bridge and launches two new competitive bidding processes at busy Board of Selectmen session. The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously April 21 to close the Madbrook Road Bridge over Horse Pond Brook after a MassDOT Highway District 3 letter dated April 7 reported that the steel supporting the deck has weakened and raises safety concerns; a replacement bridge is designed and funded, with construction targeted for summer 2026. The board also voted to authorize a request for proposals for a solar project atop the transfer station, blocking a sole-source deal with ECA MassDOT, LLC, of Waltham that members said still contained unresolved battery energy storage language in Article 4, with a July 1 state SMART program incentive deadline looming. A third RFP, for a professional road-condition assessment of the town's approximately 69.7 miles of Chapter 90 roads, was authorized to be funded through Chapter 90 after resident Roger Brooks cited a comparable 2024 study in Sterling that cost just over $40,000; member Jamie noted that full-depth road reclamation currently runs $300,000 per mile, while mill-and-pave treatment costs significantly less, making a systematic survey essential for maximizing roughly $800,000 in available paving funds.