Part of street in North Attleborough closed due to threat of ‘building collapse’

NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH, Mass. (WLNE) — North Attleborough officials said that Broadway from Richards Avenue to Bank Street will be closed to all traffic due to safety concerns related to an unsafe structure.

Traffic on the road will be closed at 4 p.m. Wednesday due to “the imminent threat of the Webster Mill building partially collapsing.”

The detour in place due to the danger of a building collapse. (Town of North Attleborough)

Town officials said that southbound traffic will be detoured from Broadway to Richards Avenue, Richards Avenue to Washington Street, and Washington Street to Eddy Street back to Broadway.

Meanwhile northbound traffic will be detoured from Broadway to Bank Street, Bank Street to Morse Street, and Morse Street to Richards Avenue back to Broadway.

The town added that it has notified the property owners of its intention to demolish the portion of the building that is in imminent danger of collapsing.

The owners will have 24 hours to respond and correct the situation.

“The Webster Mill property has been a public safety concern for many years, and we have made it our priority to ensure that necessary actions are taken to address any issues that may arise,” Town Manager Michael Borg said. “Recent storms and the previous partial roof collapse have made portions of the building structurally unsafe, resulting in the imminent threat of a partial building collapse near Broadway. Out of an abundance of caution, the area of Broadway near the building will be closed until further notice as we work to address this issue.”