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Windsor Castle Park’s footbridge by Jericho Road reopened Jan. 30 following roughly two months of reconstruction.

T-Mobile awarded the town a $48,000 Hometown Grant in December, which was combined with just over $310,000 allocated for repairs to multiple footbridges from Smithfield’s share of federal COVID-19 pandemic relief funds the town received in 2021 from the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA.

“We decided to completely renovate it and not just fix some boards so it’s a beautiful structure and we think it’s going to really reduce our maintenance time spent on this particular bridge,” said Parks and Recreation Director Amy Novak during the Jan. 30 ribbon-cutting ceremony. “And we hope to continue on and do the rest of the bridges throughout the park.”

The reconstruction cost the town just over $180,000 according to invoices by Athens Building Corp. the Town Council has approved. 

According to Athens project manager George Avgeros, the wood is “treated to level four,” which he said was “the highest for human contact.” The product has an estimated 15-year lifespan.

“It’s not something you buy at a store,” Avgeros said.

According to Novak, the plan is to next replace the footbridge at the park’s entrance by Smithfield Station on South Church Street. Replacing that bridge, she said, is estimated to cost roughly $206,000.

The Town Council voted unanimously on Feb. 6 to allocate an additional $40,000 to the project budget to cover the cost.