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PLYMOUTH — The bridge on Baseline Road in Plymouth will likely be closed for a year or more.
It’s an inconvenience for residents, but how will it impact public service provides like schools and emergency services?
Chief Richard Metzger of the Plymouth Fire Department said the bridge closure could cause delayed response times for residents west of the Ashland Railway train tracks at some point.
“In the right situation, it will be a grave concern, but we haven’t faced that situation yet,” Metzger said.
“Luckily this is a low traffic railway, so that works for our advantage. They’re only taking between one and three trains on the track per day.”
The bridge is located on Baseline Road, a main thoroughfare through town, but privately owned by Ashland Railway, which runs trains on the tracks below.
Baseline Road is the only westbound road out of downtown Plymouth. There are three roads, all located in within a residential stretch less than one mile in length, that would allow emergency vehicles to bypass the bridge and get back on Baseline Road. They all cross the Ashland Railway track.
“We have alternate routes to get over there, as long as there’s no train on the rail,” Metzger said. “If there’s a train on that track, that’s when we’re going to have a problem.”
Metzger estimated the low speed trains typically take between five to ten minutes to pass. It’s not much time — but in a crisis, every second counts.
“If it is a medical emergency and it’s a situation where the person needs immediate care, any delay in care can potentially alter the outcome of the patient,” Metzger said.
Fortunately, most of the department’s calls come from east of the train tracks. Nevertheless, Metzger said his department will do whatever it takes to serve residents on the west side of town.
“If we are able to get there, we will. If we have to call mutual aid, we will,” he said.
“We’ll do whatever we can to make it through this.”
Superintendent Brad Turson of Plymouth-Shiloh Local Schools said the closure has resulted in minor changes to a few school bus routes.
“The bridge closure has caused our district to move two pickup locations for our Plymouth town students,” he said. “We do not anticipate any delays because of the inconvenience of relocating these pickup locations.”
Turson said families impacted by the change have been notified through the district’s One Call Now system. Details are also available on the district website.
Plymouth Mayor Cassaundra Fryman said the West Broadway project — a grant-funded initiative to update drainage and storm sewer systems in the area — will move forward next spring as planned.
