Village to get a new bridge

HEUVELTON — A more than 100-year-old bridge along County Route 812 in the village of Heuvelton soon will be knocked down and replaced.

The structure, which is on the south end of the village and crosses the Oswegatchie River, will be replaced with a three-span concrete arch bridge for about $5.8 million, state Department of Transportation spokesman Michael R. Flick said.

"It was a bridge we were aware of that needed replacement," Mr. Flick said. "It wasn't a surprise."

Work is under way on a temporary single-lane bridge and traffic light that need to be in place before the structure can be removed. Traffic will use the temporary bridge until the new bridge is complete.

Although asbestos must be removed from a paint coating on the bridge before it can be torn down, DOT officials expect the replacement to be completed by July 2010.

The project has been on DOT's agenda for about five years, after the department found it was no longer feasible to continue with general maintenance, Mr. Flick said. DOT completed engineering designs in the fall and last month contracted Slate Hill Constructors Inc., Warner, for construction and asbestos removal.

Although the last major overhaul of the bridge was in 1968, Mr. Flick said, safety was not a factor in the decision to replace the crumbling bridge.

Village Trustee Neil R. Parish said he is concerned that temporarily replacing the two-lane bridge with a single-lane structure will cause some problems for traffic along the village's main road.

"It's going to be kind of hectic downtown, but we can live with it," he said. "The replacement needs to be done. We need a new bridge, no question about it."