The Tinkham Pond Bridge may still be more than three months away from reopening says Highway Surveyor Barry Denham.

Denham and project engineer Kenneth Motta gave Selectmen an update on Tuesday night.

The bridge, with 150-year-old granite supports, was deemed unsafe and closed last fall. Due to the onset of winter and the need to secure permits, no work could be done until the spring.

As it stands, the Highway Department is close to submitting the permit application to the Department of Transportation for approval.

The project is estimated to cost $611,00, and will require the removal of the granite as well as expanding the road around the bridge.

“We will take a lot of that curve out of that area,” said Denham. “It’s going to be a lot nicer setup than it is now.”

Once the permit application is submitted, Denham said it could take a week to three months to get approval.

“I would imagine that it is gonna be further out on the three months than a week,” he said.

Once the permits are in place, Denham said the work shouldn’t take too long.

“It’s everything getting to that point,” said Denham.

Selectman Paul Silva said he didn’t want the emergency repair to take away from the long-term road plan in place. Among the repairs this year is the rehabilitation of Mechanic Street.

Town Administrator Mike Gagne said the town's debt retirement will allow the town to borrow money for the bridge repair without an increase in spending or taxes.

Selectman Jordan Collyer asked Gagne to contact Rep. William Strauss to help expedite the process for the bridge.