The Town of Bridgewater has begun repairing the Centennial Trail Bridge which has been shutdown since June after it was lit on fire by a youth.

The work is estimated to take approximately one month, meaning it should open by early to mid-November.

Bridgewater Mayor David Mitchell says having the bridge closed throughout the summer has been challenging and he’s looking forward to when it can reopen. “So many people use the trail, especially in the Summer so we obviously heard lots of frustration with it being shut down,” Mitchell said. “It’s also  really popular in the fall when the leaves turn, and people take photos of the river so we are hopefully going to be done in time for some of that.”

Mitchell says insurance covered the lion’s share of the bridge repair costs, though the town was required to pay a deductible. Additionally, he thanked Ryan Buck and Buck’s Home Hardware, which made a significant donation to the project by supplying many of the required building materials.

The youth who set fire to the bridge came forward and took responsibility for their actions a day after the fire was lit, but as a youth details of any court action are under a publication ban.

When the bridge repairs get closer to completion the town will notify residents when the official reopening date is.