Madrid bridge to be open by Nov. 30

MADRID — Residents may not have to wait much longer for their town to be whole again.

For more than a year drivers have been living with an eight-mile detour to circumvent a crumbling bridge spanning state Route 37. All that may be over in about a week, according to Jeffrey A. Hanlon, owner of Slate Hill Constructors of Warners.

The "most optimistic date" for reopening the century-old stone bridge is Friday, but more likely, work will be done by Nov. 30, he said.

"We're hoping to have it open by the weekend, late, late, late Friday, probably Saturday or maybe even Monday," state Department of Transportation spokesman Michael R. Flick said.

Construction on the bridge was originally not scheduled to be complete until 2010, but public outcry forced the timeline to be moved up. The bridge and the Fort Drum connector route were the regional DOT office's two highest priorities this year.

"It's been a lot of extra miles for a lot of people," said Supervisor William B. Carkner. "They really went out of their way to speed things up for us."

There will be an open house Dec. 3 at the bridge sponsored by the DOT.

The detour went into effect in spring 2008, after state Department of Transportation officials found cracks on the nine-arch stone bridge had widened too much to be considered safe. It spans state Route 345 and connects the two sides of the hamlet, which has a population of about 1,800.

Since work began in the spring, contractors have been working 10-hour shifts, six or seven days a week to get everything repaired by the early January deadline.

"They're busy as beavers up there," Mr. Hanlon said. "They'll be working the day after Thanksgiving."