The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), New England District, plans to perform work on federally owned property that is part of the USACE Colebrook River Lake project located in the Naugatuck River Basin. The road work proposed will provide, year round, new access to the northern end of Colebrook River Lake’s Operation and Maintenance (O&M) access road (also known as Old Massachusetts Route 8), in Sandisfield, Massachusetts (MA).

The proposed work involves construction of a new entrance and connector road to the O&M access road which will eliminate the need to use the Old MA Route 8 Bridge. Part of the access road floods when the Colebrook River Lake elevation increases. The northern end of the O&M access road, is vital for natural resources operations, public recreation and access for Corps’ staff.

Future work at this site includes the removal of the Old MA Route 8 Bridge. When the bridge is removed, there will be no access to Old MA Route 8 between the bridge and the Corps access gate when lake levels rise.

The proposed work will be coordinated with federal and state agencies. The Public Notice with more detailed information, is available for review on the Corps website: https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Portals/74/docs/Topics/PublicNotices/2020/OMAccessRoadPublicNotice20200610.pdf

Public comments on this proposed work should be forwarded no later than July 14, 2020 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, 696 Virginia Road, ATTN: Janet Cote, Concord, MA 01742-2751; or by email to nae-pn-nav@usace.army.mil.