Blandford renews its efforts to reopen Cobble Mountain Road

Date: 4/27/2022

BLANDFORD – Town Administrator Christopher Dunne announced last week that he would re-engage with efforts to reopen Cobble Mountain Road to at least some vehicular traffic, and to see the state reimburse the town for its maintenance on the road.

Dunne said April 22 that the town submitted a letter last year to the state Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) requesting reimbursement of the $1.7 million in Chapter 90 funds that the town has spent on Cobble Mountain Road since 1997. Former Town Administrator Joshua Garcia had discovered that the road actually belongs to DCAMM, meaning the town should not have been paying for its maintenance.

Of more importance, though, are the gates that sit on either end of Cobble Mountain Road, which traverses the reservoir and would provide a fast connection between Blandford and Granville. DCAMM gave the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission permission to close the road to public traffic in 2002. At the time, they cited concerns over the possibility of a terrorist attack on Cobble Mountain dam in the near aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001.

The road remains closed 20 years later, and Dunne said that the town is continuing to explore legal options for opening Cobble Mountain Road to at least some traffic.

“They have gates on other roads in Blandford, but this is the crucial one for the purposes of mutual aid between Blandford and Granville,” said Dunne. “We are in communication with Springfield Water and Sewer to ensure emergency access to the whole of Cobble Mountain Road for our first responders so that they may fulfill our mutual aid obligations with neighboring communities. We also hope to work cooperatively with the commission to open Springfield-owned lands to passive recreation for Blandford residents and visitors.”

He said he would communicate further with local elected officials to help seek a long-term solution for the use of the land around Cobble Mountain Reservoir.