North Stonington - The town is quickly finding out that, to build a bridge, you almost have to build a village.

And cut through some red tape.

As part of the effort to build a new Town Hall Bridge on Main Street, an archaeological dig is required for the old bridge's foundation, First Selectman Nicholas H. Mullane said, because the area is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The bridge was washed out during the March 2010 floods and has been closed ever since.

But to do an archaeological dig, the hired archaeologist, Michael Raber, requires at least five days of splashing around in Shunock Brook, and he needs equipment - heavy equipment.

To get the needed excavator and crane into position by Town Hall, Mullane said, the town needs to move two telephone polls. And because the equipment will block a driveway that leads to three homes, most owned by elderly residents, Mullane said, the town also needs to build a temporary driveway through the town hall parking lot in case of an emergency.

"If an ambulance needs to get back there during that time, it would take 30 or 45 minutes to take down and move the crane," Mullane said. "We can't do that; we've got to be safe."

Because of these and other additional costs that have sprung up, Mullane said the town now estimates the project will cost around $1.9 million. Earlier this spring, it was estimated at $1.2 million. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is set to pay 75 percent of the cost.

It's a whole lot of preparation to be in compliance with a federal guideline, Mullane said, but one that should be followed to preserve the physical history of the village.

"It's required because it's in a federal historical district and we're getting federal funds for the replacement of a historic bridge," Mullane said. "We have to get that done before we build. (Raber) will do a historical review. He wants to understand how the bridge was built and he'll write a report of what was historically there."

Mullane said the town is working quickly to get the area prepared for Faber. They hope he will be able to begin his research late next week or early the following week.

Once the dig is complete, the town will have jumped what is hopefully the biggest hurdle, Mullane said. There are still some decisions to be made - such as whether to put a water line in the ground under the bridge or through the abutment - and the town is waiting to hear from the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Locally, permission to build has been granted from the Planning and Zoning and Wetlands commissions, Mullane said.

Mullane said he hopes construction will begin in August and progress quickly after that.

"We can't put it off any longer," Mullane said. "We've got to get a bridge in by this winter."

s.goldstein@theday.com